9781422284834

The rotating winds of the storm system gathered speed and eventually formed the familiar cone of a tornado. Some tornadoes can reach wind speeds of more than 200 miles per hour (322 kph).

Where the base of the horseshoe met the wall of rain and hail, the clouds came down and began a wild dance, moving in different directions, including up into the main storm tower. If there was going to be a tornado, this area—the wall cloud—was where it would occur. With her camera ready, Mazur carefully watched the storm orga- nize. Sometimes, rotating storms produce tornadoes, and she wanted to capture every second of the event. She had her phone ready, too: as a meteorologist, she had a duty to report her observations to the local

10