Original subtitles

( Thunder rumbling )

Okay, my turn.

One, two, three, four, five.

Okay.

( Radio playing country music )

One, two, three.

Yellow.

One, two, three, four, five.

Okay, my turn. ( Laughs )

One, two, three.

( Emergency broadcast beep )

We interrupt our regular programming

to inform you that the National Weather Service

has issued a tornado warning for old ham and parmer counties.

Residents in these areas are urged

to take proper precautions.

We now return you to our regular programming.

**

( laughs )

Where are you going?

I'll be right back.

It's not supposed to be here.

Aah! Come on, come on.

Let's go.

Mommy! Mommy!

( Yelling )

Come on, guys! Come on.

( Screaming )

Hold onto mommy.

( Rumbling )

Careful, ma'am.

Watch your step.

There you are.

Thank you for flying with us.

Watch your step, sir.

I'm Samantha Callen.

Dr. Branson must've sent you.

I'm Dr. Branson.

Oh. Well, so much for introductions.

She's in the car, Dr. B. Howdy.

Jacob Thorne, meet Samantha Callen.

Jake. Pleasure to meet you, ma'am.

Sam. Are we meeting someone else here?

Well, the star of our show, Patti,

just got in from St. Louis. You're the last to arrive.

Well, I hope your flight wasn't as bad as mine.

Actually, I drove. I love driving.

He's afraid of flying.

No, I just have a healthy respect

for atmospheric uncertainties.

So, how's the weather in Washington?

Sticky. I've been trying to familiarize myself with your work.

Well, I'm sure Patti won't let us down.

Well, the science foundation has every confidence

- in your work, Dr. Branson. - Thank you.

You've been very supportive.

But you can understand why, after six years,

they had to demand a field trial.

Now, frankly, at N.A.O., we think it's time

to make a final determination.

I'm sorry,

did you say "termination"?

Contrary to what you might've

heard, not all auditors

are heartless.

Now, these things are normally

done in a two-day turn around.

I've asked for a week.

Oh, a whole week.

Well, might as well find Bigfoot

and the guy from the grassy

knoll while we're at it.

How much do you know

about, uh, tornadoes,

Miss Callen?

Dr. where I come from,

the biggest weather problem

I have is that humidity

makes my hair frizzy.

Now, I was assigned

to your project two days ago,

and I'm doing the best I can

to catch up.

Well, this is just

the place for a crash course.

Welcome to tornado season.

Branson: This is,

um, Downtown Byron.

What do they call it, Jake?

"The Jewel of the Panhandle.

Sam: I'm dazzled. Where's the mall?

Jake: Amarillo.

Good legs.

Excuse me?

Patti, I mean.

You see, I knew right from the start

that she had to have strong legs to withstand F-5 winds.

That's when I came up with

a titanium aerodynamic superstructure

and the explosive bolts.

It took me a solid year of research

just to get the bolts to fire in the proper sequence

to maximize torque stress reduction.

How much longer before we get there?

About 20 minutes. I took the scenic route.

Sam: So, what made you decide to become a meteorologist?

Oh, I'm not.

No, Jacob is a, um...

Former top graduate student of mine

at the University of Missouri.

Then I washed out in the third year.

Nonsense. As far as I'm concerned,

you're merely late for class.

So, what do you do in the meantime?

I'm a chaser.

One of those guys racing around in pickups

chasing after storms?

Waste of a fine mind, if you ask me.

Well, we're all chasing one thing or another, aren't we?

Sam, this is Oliver Nestle, one of my graduate students.

Pleased to meet you, ma'am.

Now, there's a meteorologist.

Well, now, that's one passenger unloaded.

Now you can swing me by my hotel?

Hotel?

Well, I really don't want to put you out.

We got plenty of room, but suit yourself.

Nearest hotel is about, uh, oh, 30 miles away.

Of course, it's really just a truck stop,

but I'm sure I can get them

to put some clean sheets on a hide-a-bed.

This is perfect. I'll need a telephone.

Oh, we got telephones, indoor plumbing,

all the modern conveniences.

Let me get your bags for you, ma'am.

Oh, don't call me ma'am,

and I can manage just fine, thank you.

It's up on the second story, first door to your right.

Uh, in case you forgot,

we want her on our side.

As you can see, she's not thrilled about the idea

of waiting around for a tornado.

Well, I don't have to tell you, of all people,

they don't run on timetables.

No, but the N.A.O. does.

Well, ephram says two days, maybe less.

Good. The sooner, the better.

Radio: ...Metropolitan area.

For today and tonight, Cumberland...

...enhancing the rain and causing widely scattered

showers and thunderstorms today and Friday.

The Austin Metropolitan Forecast today --

cloudy with a 40% chance of showers,

high in the lower 70s,

north wind 10-15 miles per hour.

Tonight, cloudy with a 60% chance of showers

and thunderstorms, possibly severe

with large hail and damaging wind.

Low in the lower 50s

and north wind at 10-15 miles per hour.

On Friday, prepare for rain

and thunderstorms. Range at 100%.

Highs in the mid-50s...

Forty-five miles an hour and gusty.

In the extended forecast

Saturday, big racing clouds with a chance of showers.

High in the 50s, near 60 on Sunday.

Partly cloudy with a slight chance of rain.

Low in the 40s and highs in the 60s.

Monday...

( Radio broadcast continues indistinctly in other rooms )

Shoot! Do I smell smoke?

Where there's smoke, there's fire.

( Laughs ) Homebrew!

That's four-alarm hot sauce.

He near about tore up 87 to deliver it, too.

Hey, Tex Fulton, I want to you meet Sam Callen.

Of course, you know Dr. Branson over here.

Did he say "Tex"?

Yes, ma'am, and this here's Mattie Peck.

Pleased to meet you. Welcome to Byron.

Y'all gonna motor mouth all day,

or are you gonna eat barbecue? It's over here.

- Go on, fill your face. - You need some help, Jake?

Yeah, sure, grab a knife there.

I don't believe I've ever met anyone named "Tex" before.

Well, truth is,

I'm originally from North Carolina.

Maybe they ought to call you Carol.

( Laughs )

Tex will do just fine, ma'am.

( Phone ringing )

Hello!

How you doin', jakey?

Hey, Zeena, how are you, girl?

Why aren't you down here tearing into a rack of ribs with us?

Somebody's gotta mind the store.

How are things looking up there in Cliffside?

Oh, it couldn't be more beautiful.

Talked to Todd this afternoon.

He said there's some minor cumulonimbus activity out south of wayside.

Sure hasn't reached me yet.

Nah, we're looking at a no-show day all the way around.

( Chuckles ) Well, Rudy doesn't think so.

( Laughs ) Jacob, you're a caution.

Now, you, you save me some ribs, now, you hear?

You know I will.

Thanks, Zeena. Bye.

Sam: Those beans wouldn't happen to be made

with canola oil, would they?

Fatback.

Uh, Ephram Thorne, I'd like you to meet Sam Callen.

Pleased to meet you.

Uh, "miss," is it?

Why not! Around here,

a miss is as good as a mile! ( Laughs )

( Clears throat )

All right, get in here, slim.

Pile 'em on up here, yeah.

Yes, sir.

Yes, sir.

Helps counteract grandpa's cooking.

Thanks.

Well, Dr. B., I'm sorry, but today it seems like we're busted.

Hey! What's this gizmo in my shed?

Well, time to meet the guest of honor.

( Sam laughs )

This is Patti.

Well, looks aren't everything.

I'm sure she's got a terrific personality.

( Chuckles ) To be honest, the most difficult part

was coming up with a name for her.

After six years of work,

I wanted something truly special.

Patti, P-A-T-T-I, stands for portable analyzer

of technical tornado information.

It's also my wife's name.

Took me weeks to realize that, of course.

Oliver, why don't we show them her brain?

May I?

By all means.

All the monitoring devices are housed here,

in the control shell.

You have your digital barometer,

your ceilometer,

your electropotentionometer.

Ah, but check out the legs.

They're made of titanium alloy, which allows for torsion

from the winds, but won't break.

The bolt inside can be driven up to two feet into the ground,

thereby allowing usto actually take readings from within the vortex.

All we have to do is, uh, place her directlyinto the path of a tornado.

Sam: Is that difficult?

No, it's, uh, damn near impossible.

Um, it's, uh, up to us scientists to dothe impossible.

All this tornado talk makes me thirsty.

Sure it wasn't your sauce?

Who's up for Jimmy Jack's?

What's a Jimmy Jack?

**

( woman singing country )

This place bitchin'or what?

Oh, definitely bitchin'.

We don't have anything like this in Missouri, do we, Dr. Branson?

Ooh, how about a little salt, there, darling?

Guess you don't have anything

like that, either, do you, Ollie?

Behave yourself. There are ladies present.

So, Jake, what was your dissertation on?

Mm! Global warming.

Mattie: Let's dance.

Maybe it'll help to keep your foot out of your mouth!

You know, Jake, as far as Washington is concerned,

global warming is just a nasty rumor

cooked up by Grant-hungry scientists.

Well, that's fine, but take Antarctica, for example.

This past january the temperature

actually rose above freezing.

There were flowers growing on the ice shelf.

Now, that's not rumor.

That's a fact.

Yes, floods, droughts,

earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes...

All getting more severe, more unpredictable,

which is precisely why I invented Patti.

Early predictions means early warnings.

Early warningsmeans lives saved.

So, why are tornadoes always picking on Texas?

Well, could be the hats.

( Oliver laughs )

Now, this is...

Good old U.S. Of A. Now...

( Clears throat )

Cold, dry air travels southeast from Canada.

Now, what happens is

it comes down across the rockies here,

where it picks upmore cold air,

and then it continues on unobstructed to the plains.

Now, this represents warm, moist air

that travels north from the gulf of Mexico,

right around Brownsville here.

Once again, a straight, unobstructed path to the plains, right?

Yes, and when these two elements meet...

What happens is the cold, dry air from Canada

rests directly on top of that warm, moist air from the Gulf.

Yes, which leaves one final element.

Jet stream.

Bingo!

Heavy weather.

Some genuine kick-butt tornadoes.

And that is where our empirical knowledge of tornado formation ends.

So, all in all?

All in all, basically we know Jack.

Jimmy Jack.

Hello, Jake!

What brings you to the Boondocks, Richie?

Family business.

You forget how boring it is.

Well, it looks like you guys are having all the fun over here.

Sam Callen, Dr. Branson,

Oliver Nestle, meet the one

and only Richie Cochran.

Richard Cochran.

KLCA TV, Amarillo. Pleased to meet you.

You're on TV, huh?

Oh, yeah, Richie's the big city weather guy.

Broadcast journalist. Weather's just temporary.

You're not from around here, clearly.

The coast. East.

Well, Jake, whatever are you

doing with folks from the big city?

Well, we're from Missouri,

conducting a tornado analysis field test.

Dr. Branson's a meteorologist.

He was my advisor at grad school.

Did you ever get around to finishing up that degree?

I've known this guy since before he was a cowboy.

Finishing is not his forte.

But you, Sam?

You're much too pretty to be a meteorologist.

I'm an auditor for the government.

Well, if you're serious about finding a tornado,

you should come down to the station sometime.

At klca, we have the most up-to-date monitoring system

with complete access to the national weather service.

Come to think of it, I'm taking a camera crew to the NWS tomorrow morning.

What time should I pick you up?

Uh, Richie, her dance card's getting pretty full.

- See, she's here on business. - 10:00 will be fine.

What about your dance card tonight?

- Richie, it's full, okay? - I can speak for myself.

Wanna dance?

Sure.

Love to.

Jake and I ran track together in high school.

He was a fast starter.

I was a finisher.

* if five'll get you ten

* I'm going home alone again tonight *

* not from lack of opportunity... *

you have a real feel for the weather.

I can thank my grandpa for that.

Some things you can't learn in school.

Like dancing?

So, how did a tight-ass bean counter from washington learn the Texas two-step.

How did a redneck good ol' boy earn two-thirds of a PhD?

Hey, are we flirting?

( Laughs ) If we are, we're rusty as hell.

Nothing a little oil won't fix.

Whoo!

Ah! Yes!

I just, I love dancing.

So, you, uh, drink much tequila in Washington, do you?

Mostly chardonnay, why?

Ask me in the morning.

( Wind gusting )

( Rooster crowing )

( Chatter outside )

( Hammering )

( Sighs )

( Truck gate slams )

Morning!

How's that?

( Groans )

Scattered showers and thunderstorms for today and Friday.

( Sighs ) There's nothing like good, clean, country air.

Well, I guarantee you you'll neverwant to leave,

especially after you've had some

of my world-famous bacon and eggs.

Now, these contain a very special ingredient,

passed down from generation to generation.

Hey, hey, no peeking!

Well, good morning!

Prepare for heaven! How about some eggs?

I've just seen hell.

Just coffee.

Hmm, are you sure?

Jake's very excited about this dish.

It has a secret ingredient. Cayenne.

You're not one of those finicky easterners, are you?

No, I'm one of those brutally hung-over easterners.

...chance of showers...

Uh...

I didn't...

Do anything I shouldn't have last night, did I?

No, not a thing,

but you cantry again tonight.

...low in the 40s and 50s.

How many radios do you have around here?

Curry.

I don't know, a dozen, easy.

They're spread all over the house.

They're all on 24 hours a day,

and they're all tuned to the weather station.

Every boy must have his hobby.

I've got it. Cilantro.

Doc, please, you're blowing my cover.

Sounds like a pretty finicky eastern secret ingredient to me.

Well, cooking is my real hobby.

Jake, come look at this.

These satellite picture soutside of Denver

- look very promising. - Ah-ha.

Oliver, why don't you flag the hook?

- You got the coordinates? - You betcha.

I believe your student's going texan on you, doctor.

Yeah, it happens to the best of us.

You know, if the return moisture flow

and the vertical shift picks up a few more knots,

we could have the super-cell dynamics we need.

Yeah, see, that sucker could bust a cap.

Ooh, when do you do the super tornado fanatic handshake?

Damn!

Near about rear-ended that poor excuse for a weatherman.

( Laughs )

( Groans ) I'm gonna go freshen up.

Uh, Richie, I don't think Sam

is feeling up to this little field trip.

Maybe she'd like to tell me that herself.

I mean, she hasn't fully recovered

after last night, if, uh, you get my meaning.

I'm ready.

Yeah, so am I.

Uh, maybe we could drop you someplace, Jake.

I don't know how interesting this is gonna be for you.

Nah, I'm always eager to learn from real weather professionals.

That's, uh, that'S an official police scanner.

In my racket it's around the clock, ready alert.

Well, if it'snot asking too much,

can we be quietly on alert?

Yeah, sure.

That's the difference between Chardonnay and Tequila.

When we're fully online, we'll be connected

with every weather service regional office in the country,

as well as ncar and noaa and spc,

digital obs, satellite scanning, the whole bit!

Are we boring you, Jake?

Huh? No, no. I was an armchair weatherman myself once.

You were about to say?

Well, pretty soon, we won't have to rely on the office

in Oklahoma to guide our predictions.

We'll have texas predictions

for Texas weather on the spot.

Well, what about chasers?

They'll be chasing their own tails, totally obsolete!

That's not really the case.

Take the twister in Adrian.

Doppler detected the storm coming,

had the hour on the nose.

They called it for 3:30 P.M. exactly.

That's incredible.

Well, the only problem is they had it

three counties away in parmer, so...

The warning box was off by 75 miles.

As I was about to say, we'll always rely

on spotters and chasers. That's the human factor.

But from here, we're gonna be able

to pin point the storm formations much more exactly.

And get data up to you in Amarillo so you can give

better, earlier warnings to your viewers.

That's the theory, anyway.

Uh, I don't have to be back at the studio for another hour.

How about some lunch?

I'll take a rain check.

Well, if you'd like to find out more about

the ins and outs of the weather game...

( Laughs )

Richie, why don't you go judge a tractor pull

or whatever it is you weather guys do

when you're off-camera?

Why don't you get a life?

I got one, thanks.

You know, it's been like that since we were kids.

I'm sure eventually one of you will outgrow it.

Besides being an eyeful,

she's got a good head on her shoulders,

which is more than I can say for present company.

don't get any ideas about being a matchmaker.

Why not? Can't look after you forever.

I've been editing this footage.

It's from my own private collection.

The fugita wind damage scale

rates a storm's power from a F-1 to an F-5.

This is an F-1.

An F-2.

( Panicky chatter )

F-3. Jacob, uh, shot this, actually.

F-4.

And, finally...

Wind speeds over 300 miles per hour.

Cuts a path sometimes over a mile wide.

That's what we call an F-5.

Otherwise known as a killer tornado.

Do you name them?

What?

Like hurricanes. Do you give them names?

You don't put a name to what ain't human.

There's nothing human about a tornado.

It's just God's blind fury.

And you don't outguess itwith predictions.

Yes, but, um, doppler radar pinpoints

the elements of a storm before the tornado--

you can't guess weather sitting at some dumb computer screen.

Doppler is only one of our tools.

We have computer simulations that are on the verge

of accurately predicting the path of a me so cyclone!

With all of your fancy machines,

I mean all of them, you know you still can't tell me

when a tornado is gonna come and where it's gonna go.

- Yes, but -- - Yes, but nothing.

You see that barometer out on my porch?

Now, that's all I need, that and my senses.

'Cause sooner or later,

you gotta get outside and smell the weather.

Look, let's not forget,

it doesn't take a killer tornado to kill people.

15,000 people died in North America this century alone,

and they all had the benefit of a barometer!

Now, if Patti can save one life,

then our average would've been worth while.

All the computers in creation can't change nature.

Now, a tornado's got a devil's heart

and a dead soul, and until you seen that,

you ain't telling me nothing about nothing!

Bit proprietary on the subject, isn't he?

( Door slams )

Well, he's got his reasons.

Thought maybe it ran in the family.

Now, what is that supposed to mean?

Last night at Jimmy Jack's, you kind of treated me

like your property. ( Chuckles )

( Clears throat ) Yes, well, I think

a change of scenery would do us good.

Mattie has invited all of us over to her folks' house for dinner tonight.

I could use some home cookin'.

Sorry, Oliver, we're going to have to keep our eye on the prize.

Plenty of leftovers.

In the meantime, you just keep playing pac man

'cause that's what you're good at. Sam?

It blew in fast.

Roads are down. I'm pulling off.

This is big! Stay clear.

Well, Joanie, that was terrific.

I can't remember when I've eaten so much.

Well, honey, you're nothing but skin and bones.

Don't they feed you in New York?

- Washington. - Uh-huh. Same difference.

How's the hunt going?

Well, nothing so far today,

but we've got some promising developments from SPC.

You wanna come see my tree?

It's the best climbing tree in Byron.

I bet it is.

Sam doesn't want to see your stupid tree.

She just said she did.

Maybe later, monkey.

So, they got the speech this afternoon.

You did?

Did his eyes bug out?

( Imitating ephram ) Tornado got a heart

and a soul and a gallbladder

and a stomach.

Tornado goes to the supermarket,

buys some groceries, brings it home,

cooks up pancake still break 'ist.

( Laughs )

Tornado eats them pancakes with raspberry syrup.

Let's take a look at that tree, huh, monkey?

Sure.

You climb pretty good for a girl.

Well, so do you. Just don't tell Jake.

It'll spoil his image of me.

How do you like the view?

It's beautiful.

Just don't look down.

( Laughs )

I can see why you like coming up here.

Go on ahead. I'm right behind you.

Do you walk as good as you climb?

Try me.

That was a nice thing you did.

Climbing a tree with a ten-year-old?

No, keeping Tex from going on about a certain 70-year-old.

I don't like people talking about ephram.

There's enough talk as it is.

It's so peaceful.

Yep.

In Washington, there'd be

a thousand car alarms going off

and sirens and the subway...

I'm surprised you'd even notice, being from there.

Nobody's from Washington. I'm from Indiana.

Ah, so you're not a real yuppie.

Why not? As far as I can tell, you're not a real cowboy.

Well, that's 'cause I'm a farmer.

You know that field behind ephram's?

I got some soy growing in there,

and one day I'm even thinking of putting in some aloe.

Jake Thorne, soy and aloe farmer.

I don't buy it.

Oh, is that an official opinion?

I'm not saying you're not good at it;

I'm just saying your heart's not in it.

You know what I'm good at? Sizing things up.

Anyway, that's what they say at the office.

Size me up.

You weren't a PhD washout. You were a walkout.

Fair enough.

But why would I do that?

I haven't figured that part out yet.

Possibly you had a falling out with Branson.

More likely, you felt you owed ephram something.

Not bad.

Okay, you're so smart, size yourself up.

Just your run-of-the-mill MBA,

nothing fancy, not Harvard. Virginia.

Let me guess. First in your class?

Fifth, but good guess.

You know what they call meat the office?

The Terminator.

They bring me in whenever they want to kill a program.

I'm the ultimate hatchet man.

Not much of a life sometimes, killing other people's dreams.

Jake! This is Oliver! Come in!

Jake! Jake!

Yeah, this is Jake. I hear you. Go ahead.

This is Oliver. Come in.

Easy, Ollie. I read you loud and clear.

I think we've got some activity 15 miles NW.

Let me get the coordinates.

Zeena just called.

Her best guess is 35 wide by 101 tall.

All right, let's saddle up.

( Honking )

Doc, is she ready?

Oh, she's ready. Let's go!

Let's load it up.

All right, Jake, let's go.

Are you sure I can't help?

Ollie, get in the truck.

Is this dangerous?

- You got it? - I got it.

Ready as I'll ever be.

Okay, all right?

Last one there buys the beer.

That'll be you!

Dr. B., we gotta move.

Very nice! Let's go!

Branson: The coordinates point here.

Jake: Tex, this is it.

Tex: Copy.

Jake: Okay, guys, let's do it.

Branson: All right, Jake. You know what to do.

Come on!

Are there any warning sign si should know about?

There's usually rain followed by a brief calm. That's already behind us.

Then there's hail and strong winds just before it hits.

Good.

I'm going to set the firing mechanisms!

Okay, Oliver, let's open her up.

It's what we've been waiting for.

It's breaking up.

Save your ammo, doctor.

False alarm.

Wait. All the data pointed here!

I mean, we're looking at F-2, F-3s at least.

Doc, this thing just ain't gonna happen.

We busted.

Oh! I can't believe it, with all that data!

Looks like we missed this one, Dr. B.

Galveston, barometer dropping rapidly.

I have extreme low pressure and high seas.

( Rooster crows )

Hello.

Oh! Gave me a start there, doc.

Ah, sorry.

Yeah, just must be going deaf in my old age.

Well, I'm checking the voltage

on the electric current for the charge sin the legs.

And you really think them bolts will hold her down, huh?

Oh, I'm sure of it.

Uh-huh.

Well, 90% sure.

Uh-huh.

Would you believe cautiously optimistic?

( Laughs )

( Beeps )

It's got to hold.

You know, um, you can take a closer look if you like.

Oh.

( Chuckles ) She really is a peach, ain't she?

Yes, well, the bolt sin the legs are the key to everything.

And you really thought you had yourself one yesterday, didn't you?

I'd have bet the rent.

You'd have lost.

Mm. All the pieces were in place.

You a checkers man, doc?

Well, I prefer chess, but, um, I can hold my own.

Uh-huh. You see, weather is checkers.

It's a zig here, zag there,

jump all over creation.

The one thing it ain't is smart.

It's like plowing with a mule.

No sense trying to outsmart it.

You just gotta dummy down till you get what you're after.

Maybe you ought to stop

trying to outsmart the weather, doc.

So, just dummy down

and nature will take its course.

That is a pure de-natural fact, sir.

Now, show me how this contraption really works.

Okay, like I said,

notice here, the Doppler link--

( knocking softly )

Yeah?

Well, I was gonna take you up to see Zeena's place,

but, uh, looks like you got a better offer.

It's not that I don't enjoy standing

in the drizzle with you, Jake,

it's just not what I was sent here to do.

The truth is, I've seen enough.

I'm leaving.

So, that's it, huh, just like that?

You won't even give Branson a fighting chance?

He's had six years of chances.

I don't see that a few more days

will make any difference.

Sam, don't you even care that the work he's doing

might actually help some people?

If you care so much,

why are you planning a career in Soybeans?

One thing has nothingto do with the other.

I'll ask Oliver for a lift to the airport.

No, I'll take you myself.

I want to see with my own two eyes

that you are good and gone.

**

* I'm just an old-fashioned girl *

* in a modern-day world

the silence is getting pretty thick, don't you think?

Try watching the clouds.

It's a great way to pass the time.

You mean, like, that one looks

like a buffalo and that one's Nixon?

No, I'm actually trying to be serious here.

There's a certain Zento it.

I watch the cloud, I become the cloud.

You know what I mean?

No, Jake, I don't know what you mean.

Twelve months of the year I look at numbers.

Oh, sure, sometimes they let me go in the field

and see actual people, but still,

I'm just still supposed to see numbers.

So, what do you do for fun?

I'm a yuppie. I don't have fun; I have stress.

No, you're a fake yuppie.

Well, the stress is real enough.

I don't sit around reading congressional quarterly.

I have parties, I have brunch, I have friends.

Boyfriends?

Yes, there's no shortage of boys on Capitol Hill.

Not too many of you cow-country Marlboro men.

Sam, I'm from Chicago.

You want to talk about stress,

try being the only child of two lawyers.

They still couldn't work out their own divorce.

We're early.

I could stand a bite to eat.

Andy, honey, do you see what I see?

Strong flowoff the Gulf.

We have anything new from SPC?

Not since 10:00.

Well, take a look at this.

You know, just to be safe, we'd better get them

to issue a risk for severe from Milburn to Dalhart.

Thanks.

Somehow, I still can't see you on the farm.

Well, I did my time away at college.

Missouri's gota killer meteorology department.

Then why'd you come back?

My grandma died.

And you figured ephram needed looking after?

It's not that simple. I mean, it's not like

he was gonna throw himself off a silo or anything.

Since grandma died,

he only sees the dark side of nature,

so I figured he could use somebody around

to help see life again.

And you'restaying because...

Sam, I'm not a fool.

I know in a certain sense we're all, just,

I don't know, roadkill here on tornado alley,

but there's a certain...

( Sighs ) A certain wonder to it all, a certian mystery.

I mean, how can the same tornado

smash a freight train to splinters

and also pick up a carton of eggs

and set it down three counties away

without breaking a single egg?

You know, for two people who aren't supposed

to like each other, we sure do talk a lot.

( Pager beeping )

Okay, Margie, thanks.

You got the word to them at the farm?

I owe ya.

We got one, Sam.

Have a safe trip, huh?

I'm not flying if I could be chasing a tornado.

( Honking )

Branson: Come on, Oliver, get up front.

It's not safe to ride back there.

Tex: Get up in here, Ollie!

Jake: Slide in, grandpa.

I'm sliding. I'm in. Let's go!

( Revving )

Jake: Stay with me, now.

Tex: What have you got in mind, Jake?

Tex, if we get on 385 north

to 54 east, we'll keep on it.

Eprham's watching for plow winds from the south.

Jake, there's no damn way it's gonna tack all the way up to 54.

We got it now! We gotta stay on it.

If it makes up to 54, we ain't never gonna catch it.

Damn it, Tex, I'm telling you,

just stay straight to 385.

It's gonna be a right turn, and we'll circle it.

We'll go up and around. We got plenty of time.

Copy that, Jake.

If the driving's this bad, how much worse could the actual tornado be?

Huh!

Did you get an update from SPC?

They get a watch out?

No, this came out of nowhere.

I think they've issued a risk for severe,

- but that's about it. - Over there!

It's gonna bea big one, eh, grandpa?

You'd better believe it.

All right, Tex, let's hit it!

All right, hold onto your hats.

- ( Phone ringing ) - Yeah? Hold on, Margie.

Tex, I got Margie on now. Let me get back to you.

Yes, ma'am?

Jake, you on this critter?

Snuck right the hell up on us.

We had it targeted way west.

Yeah, I'm on it, maybe five miles south of Milburn off 385 north.

The core is maybe two miles due north of here, about 30 miles an hour.

Okay, I'm getting that down.

Now, listen, Jake. I need to issue a warning stat.

Give me your best shot. Where's it going?

It's gonna be a right-turner, east.

Okay, east.

Margie, but it's unstable.

You've gotta get confirmation

from north of Milburn asap, okay?

Will do. Good hunting, Jake.

All right, hang on, 'cause we go.

Wow, it's really picking up out there.

Yeah.

If the tornado hits us, the truck will protect us, right?

If we see it coming, we bail out and head for a drainage ditch.

- And if we don't see it coming? - Get religion in a hurry.

( Screams )

Thank God for safety glass, huh?

I'm hoping to thank him for better than that.

Tex, I'm heading up towards Roseville.

Copy.

Keep your doors open.

Branson: My God, look at that!

What would you call it, Jake? F-3? Four?

That one is at least a four, maybe even a five.

Give me that camera, Ollie.

Sorry, Dr. B. This one was too fast for us.

Incredible.

You called it Dead-on, Jake.

That'sa right-turner.

Sam: Jake, it's turning back.

Oh, no, no, no, no!

It's headed straight for Roseville.

Margie, this is Jake. I need a blast, Pronto.

Put the bike down, hurry!

Marty, look at this.

It's really blowing.

Jeez.

They haven't issued a warning.

( Tornado siren wails )

( Baby crying )

Woman: Somebody, please!

Man: There's two of them over there!

( People continue calling out )

They found him!

( Anguished yells )

- Tina? Tina? - Over here!

This is Jake Thorne requesting emergency medicalassistance.

We need medical evac and personnel here asap.

Westbury hospital should be put on alert for incoming casualties

and for a helicopter to Dalhart General, copy?

Copy.

Man: We gotta get more help in here!

Woman: Help us, please! Help us!

Just, uh, try not to move your arm, okay?

Look, uh, see if you can find some bandages,

- sheets, anything. - Okay.

Just take it easy.

Seen my wife? You seen my wife?

Come on. Come on. Walk over here.

Let's get some water.

( Crying )

It'll be all right.

Hey, we're not gonna leave you.

No, no, we're not gonna leave you.

( Siren wailing )

( Helicopter buzzing )

Excuse us. Coming through.

This one's going straight to admitting.

And you were in your kitchen

when the twister struck?

We were gonna go out early 'cause...

I don't remember why.

Normally I work on Thursdays.

When the tornado hit, can you tell us what happened?

But where's my wife? Where is she?

No, where is she...

Richard Cochran, KLCA TV.

Okay, just hold till the next live feed.

Richie, what the hell are you doing here with that camera?

don't preach at me, Jake, not now.

That man's wife could be dead.

This is my job.

I get an assignment, I do it. That's all.

Oh, I see, right or wrong, it doesn't matter, does it?

This is news. This is what the public wants.

Yeah, and you're only too happy to Oblige, aren't you?

You can rot in this jerkwater town

for all I care, but I'm going places.

For your information, the network called for a satellite pickup.

Maybe if you tornado-chasers

did your job a little bit better,

I wouldn't be doing this at all!

You haven't change done little bit since high school.

You got all that right, Hoss.

I'm still a finisher,

and you are still a loser.

Better fix your hair for the cameras, Richie.

It's a little messed up.

Branson: You're not going to end the field trials, are you?

I don't know.

Well, I knew you were on your way to the airport.

Please, there's no time for bureaucratic double-talk.

I need more time.

And I'm just the messenger.

The message was written

long before I ever set foot in Texas.

So, I was hoping against hope?

Oh, I should've guessed that.

For a scientist, I can be extremely naive.

I didn't mean to put you on the spot.

I know.

Just relax. Relax.

You see it on TV, but you don't see it at all.

Once you see it first-hand,

you never see it in any other way.

How old were you the first time?

I was playing in the parlor

with my sis when I heard the roar.

Of course, being a boy,

I had to get me a closer look,

so I'm out in the backyard.

And then all of a sudden I can't move a muscle

because there, right in front of my eyes,

I see a funnel forming,

then a second one, and then another one,

like some three-headed monster.

My mother's calling me, and I'm calling her.

All you can hear is that roar.

I watched my mother

get pulled up into that funnel.

That was the last I ever saw of her.

I was five years old

when that monster came and ate my world,

and now it'scoming again.

I overslept.

That rooster's falling down on the job.

Jake.

If those people had any warning at all,

even ten minutes.

They had a siren. I saw it.

You can't blame yourself.

I called it wrong, Sam. I called it east.

How could you know it was going to turn?

I mean, all anybody's been telling me

since I got here is how unpredictable they are.

You're not god. You did the best you could.

I mean, what the hell good is all this machinery and man power

if we just keep getting tricked every time? Why even bother?

Do you really mean that?

Because in about five minutes I'm going to get

a call from my office wondering why I'm not sitting

at my desk filing a termination report.

What should I tell them, Jake, huh?

( Footsteps )

Oh, this is a bad time.

No, no, no. Come on in.

Actually, Jake, I was hoping

maybe you and me could take a walk.

Yeah, sure.

I'll talk with Sam.

Big day yesterday.

I can't do it anymore, J.

I can't chase.

I didn't know, you know...

I didn't know what it'd be like,

I mean, really, in real life.

I saw those people, and suddenly it seemed

like I've been chasing my own tail, going in circles.

I asked Mattie to marry me.

What? ( Laughs ) Hey!

Hey, Tex, that's great!

Well, then, it's just as well.

Being a chaser, that's no work for a family man, anyway.

All right!

He just came right out of the blue!

He just showed up at my house

and woke all of us up

and asked me to set the date.

I mean, he wanted to do it tomorrow.

I told him I needed more time

'cause I gotta get a dress and all,

so we decided we're gonna do it in two weeks!

Oh, that's wonderful. Congratulations.

I would really like it if you could be here for the wedding.

Can you come?

Oh, that's very kind, Mattie,

but I might have to go back to Washington on short notice.

- Oh, I know. Oh! - ( Honking )

I just wanted you to know that you're wanted.

( Honks )

Hey, there she is! I just heard.

Congratulations.

Thank you!

Aw.

Bye-bye!

Good-bye.

Love blooms in the Panhandle.

Tex is quitting.

I guessed as much.

How about you? Are you quitting, too?

( Phone ringing )

Jake, there's something you need to know.

The anti-environmental lobby wants to pull the plug

on any project that even acknowledges global warming.

So what are you saying?

We were finished before we ever started?

I'm saying this could cost me my job.

I need to know now.

Are you gonna quit, too?

I told Dr. Branson I was gonna help him out,

and that's exactly what I'm gonna do.

( Ringing continues )

What about you, Sam?

You gonna answer that call?

Imagining what the aloe's gonna look like?

Oh...

Could be.

You're no more a farmer than you are a chaser.

That's ephram's life.

He took me in, Sam.

I owe him.

don't wait too long, Jake.

You might end upbeing the person you never wanted to be.

You mean like the Terminator?

Yeah.

Aah!

Yeah, let'sgo on up.

- ( Thunder rumbling ) - ( Gasps )

Evenin'!

Oh, I was just going to get a drink of water.

Excuse me.

Uh, could you, uh, use something

just a Tad stronger?

You have no idea.

Come on in. Sit yourself down.

Nightmare!

Yeah.

Yeah, you, uh, you won't tell Jacob about this, will you?

You know, he's a little old lady about my drinking,

and my doctor ain't much better.

I promise.

Yeah, I used to have em all the time,

real fire and brimstone beauties.

I've never seena dead body before.

Here's hoping you never see one again.

Hey, you play checkers?

Aw, of course you do.

Let's finish the game that Jacob and me started.

Come on, relax you. Your move.

Mm-hmm.

Do you think Patti's going to work.

I've never known a machine that can beat a tornado,

nuts and bolts and computer chips,

all that man made stuff.

I wish doc well, I sincerely do,

but I just don't think

that machine of his will do it.

The only thing that will beat a tornado

is flesh and blood.

The office called today.

They want me to kill the program.

And?

I didn't take the call.

( Laughs )

Well, I tell you,

you have a great heart, sugar,

but you are a lousy checker player.

( Chuckles )

You know, Doc thinks one

of the weather piece Sis missing,

but they're always all there,

just hiding in plain view.

It's a question of what you make of them.

Another one?

No, thank you.

I think I'm ready to go back to sleep.

Now, now, not so fast, slick.

First, king me.

( Chuckles )

- Good night. - Good night.

King me, you rotten son of a bitch.

This time, I'm gonna be ready for you.

* girl, you say you're gonna leave *

* you're tired of Nashville's empty dreams *

( chatter )

So, I sold all my IBM stock.

There's no way I was gonna get into online services.

( Emergency broadcast beep )

We interrupt our regular programming

to inform you that the national weather service

has issued a tornado watch for the following counties...

Well, Andy, till they upgrade to a warning,

- I don't even stop cutting. - ( Phone ringing )

Hello? Yeah, Margie, what do we have?

When? All right, I'll be right there.

George, stop cutting.

( Yips )

( Dog barks )

We got big trouble, Jakey. Rudy can smell it.

Hey, Zeena, easy. Easy, easy.

Okay, now, what does your barometer say?

Uh-huh. All right, thanks. Keep us posted.

I don't get it.

We got these satellite images

straight from the national weather service

first thing this morning, yet someone repositioned

this flag in the exact same place last night.

You see this line?

This is the second wave of a jet stream

which has been building steadily,

almost like a bantam, cascading, getting stronger.

All of which means we could have a tornado.

All of which means that last tornado

was just the first taste of this whole massive weather system.

( Screen door opens, closes )

What I want to know is which one of you

fortune tellers flagged the stream?

I did, and it's gonna be a killer

the likes of which we ain't seen in many a day.

Ain't that right, Doc?

On a scale of one to ten, if the last one was a five,

this would be...

Fifteen.

Look, if we can't get a commitment from SPC, we box it ourselves.

( Knocking on window )

Take a look.

Oh, my!

Lord have mercy.

I don't see why we gotta go all the way to Amarillo.

Tex Fulton, there's no damn way

that I'm gonna get my wedding ring

at the Byron Jewelry mall.

Well, what about that mall over there in Dalhart?

don't they got a five and dime over there?

- ( Laughs ) - Oh!

I'm warning you, boy.

( Tires screech )

You know, I got this sudden urge

to see Mom and Dad. Monkey, too.

Do you mind?

As long as it's for you, darling, I don't mind a thing.

Listen, Richie, I know you and I haven't

exactly been compadres over the years,

but you've gotta come through on this one.

The spc says the storm is south of Amarillo and heading east,

but if you look at the north end of the storm,

you'll see that it's starting to lead the line.

These storms aren't gonna pass anywhere near Byron.

They're gonna blow south of Amarillo and my viewing area.

When did you become such an expert.

Richie, look, I need you to upgrade at least to a warning.

Look, don't tell me my business.

SPC has only red-boxed it from...

Well, from Amarillo to Midland.

Until I get something more from weather service,

I can't upgrade to priority one on my own.

I'm telling you, the storm is heading north.

That's not good enough. I'm not gonna put

my careeron the line because you got some feeling.

Wouldn't I look the fool if I cut in with a false warning.

Jake, I've got Tex from the road.

Put him on speaker. Don't disappear on me, now, Richie.

Jake! Jake, you there?

Can you read me?

Yeah, Tex, I got you. What's going on?

Mattie and I are just north of Amarillo

on 87. There's a storm out here.

It's a pretty big one.

You got any reports on it?

Tex, you're breaking up.

Yeah, it came up all of a sudden.

It looks like this could be worse than the last one.

- Tex? - ( Static dies )

You hear that, Mr. Weatherman?

Tex always lands on his feet.

Yeah well, if one person gets injured because of your incompetence,

I am gonna land on you like a ton of bricks!

It's almost on us. Get that belt off.

We gotta get out of the truck and find a ditch.

Hold on, Mattie!

Mattie!

An enormous mesocyclone has already developed.

We have reportsthat a few twisters have touched down.

Most likely we're looking at F-5s.

300 miles an hour, easy.

So, uh, when do we start chasing?

Sam, we don't have to chase anything.

The storm is headed straight for us.

I, uh, need to talk to you about something.

You're wondering about the network reaction to your satellite feed?

Did they like it?

Like it? They went nuts.

I don't know how we're gonna hang onto you here.

I am gonna frame this.

Listen, while we're on the subject of tornadoes,

I think we might have a big one on the way down.

Now, I'd like to go on air with a warning.

Did we get something from NWS?

Nothing official.

Then don't worry about it. It'll blow over.

You're probably right.

I'm just wound a little tight is all.

I'm sorry to bother you.

Of course, I want the Reverend Swanbeck,

but Mattie think she's too boring

so she's talking to that Reverend Madden fellow

over in Dalhart.

I needan emergency cut-in now!

Let's place it right here.

Okay.

- Monkey, come on! - Hurry! Hurry!

There was a woman said on the TV a twister's coming.

David, what about Mattie?

The wind is out of the south-southeast.

Good! This is the best place for it.

Now, once I set the firing mechanism, there's a ten-second delay.

( Beeping )

Okay, stand back!

No, no! One of the pins didn't fire!

Unless all four are planted, it won't hold!

- What do we do? - I don't know!

I gotta check the firing mechanism.

Dr. B., we're running out of time!

Yeah, I know, look, I need a driving pin and a toolbox from the shed.

I'll get them!

Folks, we have got to get moving now!

Hey, Sam, let's go!

Come on!

Dr. B.! Hey!

( Whistles )

I can't!

I have to fix the leg!

( Tornado siren wails )

- An octopus? - No, it's a bat, see?

If it was a bat, it should be upside down.

Wait, I'll stand on my head.

( Laughs )

( Cracking )

All right, honey, what's this?

I don't know.

Well, come on, try.

David, I don't know.

( Screaming )

( Zapping )

I'm going to have to shut it manually!

I don't know if there's enough time!

You can do it!

Get inside now!

Grandpa!

Grandpa!

Come on, grandpa!

Forget it, Doc!

No, no, I need another minute!

- Come on! - No!

Come on, Doc!

Grandpa, please! Come on!

- Leave me be! - Come on!

We'll never make it!

Jake!

( Screaming )

Hang on!

Aah!

We're inside.

We're inside it?

It's all around us.

Oh, my God.

- Are you okay? - I'm all right, I'm fine.

We gotta get to that storm shelter now

before the other side reaches us. Come on.

Hurry, Jake! We don't have much time!

It's not gonna hold!

Jake: Okay, come on, get inside!

Come on, Grandpa!

Please, Grandpa, now!

Come on!

- ( Glass shatters ) - I've gotta set the leg!

Grandpa!

Grandpa! No!

Grandpa!

Okay, everybody, let's get the post mortems.

( Phone ringing )

NWS.

Oldham county reporting?

NWS.

Parmer county, go ahead.

What's the story?

( Barking )

What do you think, boy?

Maybe we'll start a franchise.

Why haven't we heard from them?

I'm sure they're fine.

We did all right. No real damage.

Oh, thank heavens. Mattie!

Hey, Mama!

I tell you, Tex'll do anything to avoid getting married.

Hey, Monkey!

You okay, Sis?

Oh, I'll tell you, it's gonna take more

than a little old bump on the head to make me miss our wedding day.

And I will dwell in the house of the lord forever. Amen.

Hey, if there's, uh, anything that I can do...

You came through just fine, Richie.

I was just following your lead.

I think he went the way he wanted to.

Or maybe the only way he could.

I'll be he looked right into the dead soul of that monster

and ripped out his devil heart for good.

Patti never could've survived that storm without you.

The measurements she took that night

will allow us to save many lives.

That is your legacy.

Jake, I don't know

if this is the right time to bring it up,

but I have a departmental fellowship

that's yours for the asking.

Do think about it, won't you?

I'll do that, Doc.

That'll be the day, when Jake Thorne goes back to school.

Once a chaser, always a chaser?

Once a Terminator, always a Terminator?

I can't see going back to it.

Truth is, right now I can't see past

Tex and Mattie's wedding.

You know, I'll need a date.

How would you feel about being chased for a change?

I could get to like that just fine.