Thomas P. Grazulis
Encyclopedia
Thomas P. Grazulis is a meteorologist who has written extensively about tornado
es and is head of the Tornado Project.
He grew up in Worcester, Massachusetts and first confronted the power of a tornado during the Worcester Tornado of 1953 which killed 94 people. He received a bachelor's degree in meteorology from Florida State University
and was briefly a broadcaster.
After teaching in New Jersey, he and his wife Doris moved to St. Johnsbury, Vermont
.
In 1979, he began working with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission
in creating a history of tornadoes. Specifically, he worked on updating the databases of historic storms maintained by the National Severe Storms Forecast Center in Kansas City, Missouri
as well as the database of Ted Fujita
. The tornado database work was considered important enough that it was followed by five years of funding from the National Science Foundation
. In the process, Grazulis chronicled 50,000 tornadoes in a 1,400 page book. Grazulis amassed one of three authoritative tornado databases, those being the National Tornado Database assembled and maintained by NOAA agencies, the University of Chicago
database founded by Fujita which ended at his retirement in 1992, and the Grazulis Tornado Project database. As of 2011, the Grazulis database spans from 1680-1995 and includes all known 'significant' tornadoes (those rated F2-F5 or causing a fatality).
In the early 1990s, he and Doris formed the Tornado Project to market tornado videos, posters, and books.
In 1997, he became a storm chaser
noting that despite his fascination with storms he had never actually seen a tornado. He saw his first tornado, a very large one, near Tulsa, Oklahoma
on Memorial Day of that year. By the late 1990s, Grazulis also constructed a variety of designs of physical simulator models of vortices
. He used these for air flow experiments and for displays. Grazulis had long been interested in tornado simulators and included earlier laboratory studies in his Tornado Video Classics documentaries. The Secrets of the Tornado documentary featured a detailed instructional section with an accompanying printed guide for constructing ones own.
Grazulis is a Fellow of the American Meteorological Society
and was on the Fujita Scale Forum of the Fujita Scale Enhancement Project; which developed the Enhanced Fujita Scale
to supplant the original Fujita Scale
.
Tornado
A tornado is a violent, dangerous, rotating column of air that is in contact with both the surface of the earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. They are often referred to as a twister or a cyclone, although the word cyclone is used in meteorology in a wider...
es and is head of the Tornado Project.
He grew up in Worcester, Massachusetts and first confronted the power of a tornado during the Worcester Tornado of 1953 which killed 94 people. He received a bachelor's degree in meteorology from Florida State University
Florida State University
The Florida State University is a space-grant and sea-grant public university located in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. It is a comprehensive doctoral research university with medical programs and significant research activity as determined by the Carnegie Foundation...
and was briefly a broadcaster.
After teaching in New Jersey, he and his wife Doris moved to St. Johnsbury, Vermont
St. Johnsbury, Vermont
St. Johnsbury is the shire town of Caledonia County, Vermont, United States. The population was 7,571 at the 2000 census. St. Johnsbury is located approximately northwest of the Connecticut River and south of the Canadian border.St...
.
In 1979, he began working with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Nuclear Regulatory Commission
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is an independent agency of the United States government that was established by the Energy Reorganization Act of 1974 from the United States Atomic Energy Commission, and was first opened January 19, 1975...
in creating a history of tornadoes. Specifically, he worked on updating the databases of historic storms maintained by the National Severe Storms Forecast Center in Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
as well as the database of Ted Fujita
Ted Fujita
was a prominent severe storms researcher. His research at the University of Chicago on severe thunderstorms, tornadoes, hurricanes and typhoons revolutionized knowledge of each.- Biography :Fujita was born in Kitakyūshū, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan...
. The tornado database work was considered important enough that it was followed by five years of funding from the National Science Foundation
National Science Foundation
The National Science Foundation is a United States government agency that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. Its medical counterpart is the National Institutes of Health...
. In the process, Grazulis chronicled 50,000 tornadoes in a 1,400 page book. Grazulis amassed one of three authoritative tornado databases, those being the National Tornado Database assembled and maintained by NOAA agencies, the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
database founded by Fujita which ended at his retirement in 1992, and the Grazulis Tornado Project database. As of 2011, the Grazulis database spans from 1680-1995 and includes all known 'significant' tornadoes (those rated F2-F5 or causing a fatality).
In the early 1990s, he and Doris formed the Tornado Project to market tornado videos, posters, and books.
In 1997, he became a storm chaser
Storm chaser
Storm chaser can refer to:*Storm chasing, the pursuit of any severe weather condition*Storm Chaser, registered US Service Mark for Warren Faidley confirmed by the US Trademark Office as the first, full-time, professional storm chasing journalist...
noting that despite his fascination with storms he had never actually seen a tornado. He saw his first tornado, a very large one, near Tulsa, Oklahoma
Tulsa, Oklahoma
Tulsa is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 46th-largest city in the United States. With a population of 391,906 as of the 2010 census, it is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with 937,478 residents in the MSA and 988,454 in the CSA. Tulsa's...
on Memorial Day of that year. By the late 1990s, Grazulis also constructed a variety of designs of physical simulator models of vortices
Vortex
A vortex is a spinning, often turbulent,flow of fluid. Any spiral motion with closed streamlines is vortex flow. The motion of the fluid swirling rapidly around a center is called a vortex...
. He used these for air flow experiments and for displays. Grazulis had long been interested in tornado simulators and included earlier laboratory studies in his Tornado Video Classics documentaries. The Secrets of the Tornado documentary featured a detailed instructional section with an accompanying printed guide for constructing ones own.
Grazulis is a Fellow of the American Meteorological Society
American Meteorological Society
The American Meteorological Society promotes the development and dissemination of information and education on the atmospheric and related oceanic and hydrologic sciences and the advancement of their professional applications. Founded in 1919, the American Meteorological Society has a membership...
and was on the Fujita Scale Forum of the Fujita Scale Enhancement Project; which developed the Enhanced Fujita Scale
Enhanced Fujita Scale
The Enhanced Fujita Scale rates the strength of tornadoes in the United States based on the damage they cause.Implemented in place of the Fujita scale introduced in 1971 by Ted Fujita, it began operational use on February 1, 2007. The scale has the same basic design as the original Fujita scale:...
to supplant the original Fujita Scale
Fujita scale
The Fujita scale , or Fujita-Pearson scale, is a scale for rating tornado intensity, based primarily on the damage tornadoes inflict on human-built structures and vegetation...
.
Major works
- The New Jersey Shoreline (1967 educational film)
- Approaching the Unapproachable (1972 documentary film)
- Tornado Video Classics I
- Tornado Video Classics II
- Tornado Video Classics III
- Secrets of the Tornado (documentary)
- (1984), Violent Tornado Climatology, 1880-1982. NUREG/CR-3670, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC, 165 pp
- Significant Tornadoes 1680-1991
- Significant Tornadoes Update 1992-1995
- The Tornado: Nature's Ultimate Windstorm