NOVA Season 40 Episode 20 Synopsis

On May 20, 2013, a ferocious EF5 tornado over a mile wide tore through Moore, Oklahoma, inflicting 24 passings and obliterating entire neighborhoods. It was the third time an exceptionally unhappy tornado had struck the city in 14 years. Yet predicting when and where these hugger storms will hit still poses a huge challenge. Why was 2011-the worst ever recorded tornado season that left 158 dead in Joplin, Missouri-followed by the quietest ever year of activity prior to the Moore disaster? Can improved radar and warning technology explain why so many fewer died in Moore than in Joplin? And will tornadoes get worse as Earth's climate heats up? In this NOVA special, we meet scientists in the front ranks of the battle to understand these extreme weather events. We also meet storm survivors whose lives have been upended and learn how we can protect ourselves and our communities for the uncertain future.

NOVA Season 40 Episodes...

• s40e01 - Secrets of the Viking Sword
• s40e02 - Forensics on Trial
• s40e03 - Mystery of Easter Island
• s40e04 - Ultimate Mars Challenge
• s40e05 - Inside the Megastorm
• s40e06 - Doomsday Volcanoes
• s40e07 - Decoding Neanderthals
• s40e08 - Rise of the Drones
• s40e09 - Who Killed Lindbergh's Baby?
• s40e10 - Building Pharaoh's Chariot
• s40e11 - Earth From Space
• s40e12 - Mind of a Rampage Killer
• s40e13 - Meteor Strike
• s40e14 - Ancient Computer
• s40e15 - Australia's First 4 Billion Years - Awakening
• s40e16 - Australia's First 4 Billion Years - Life Explodes
• s40e17 - Australia's First 4 Billion Years - Monsters
• s40e18 - Australia's First 4 Billion Years - Strange Creatures
• s40e19 - Manhunt - Boston Bombers
• s40e20 - Oklahoma's Deadliest Tornadoes

NOVA Show Summary

Seen in more than 100 countries, NOVA is the most watched science based television series in the world and the most watched documentary series on PBS. It is also one of television's most acclaimed series, having won many major television awards, most of them many times over.