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Learn how storm chasing really works

The game is built on real meteorology. These short guides explain the science behind what you see — and each one points to the National Weather Service or NOAA for the full story.

• What do storm chasers do?
  Storm chasers forecast, position, observe and report severe weather. Here is what a real chase day looks like, and how the game turns it into a skill you can play.
• The Enhanced Fujita scale, explained
  The EF scale rates tornadoes from EF0 to EF5 by the damage they cause. See the wind-speed ranges, how ratings are assigned and why a tornado’s size is not its strength.
• Tornado Alley: where tornadoes happen
  Tornado Alley is the part of the central United States with frequent, strong tornadoes. Learn where it is, why tornadoes form there, when peak season is and what Dixie Alley is.
• How to read radar for tornadoes
  Learn to read weather radar the way storm chasers do: what reflectivity and velocity show, what a hook echo looks like and what a velocity couplet means.
• Types of tornadoes
  Tornadoes come in many shapes. See the difference between rope, cone, stovepipe, wedge and multiple-vortex tornadoes, landspouts and waterspouts.
• Storm chasing safety
  Storm chasing is dangerous. The real risks are road crashes, lightning, hail and flash floods. Here are the habits experienced chasers use, and why you should train as a spotter first.
• What is a supercell?
  A supercell is a long-lived thunderstorm with a rotating updraft called a mesocyclone. Learn its parts (inflow, updraft, wall cloud, hail core, downdrafts) and why it produces tornadoes.
• Storm chasing glossary
  Short definitions of the terms chasers use.