May 8, 2009

An $11.9 million project touted as the largest attempt to study tornadoes ever is set to begin.

The initial phase of the Verification of Rotation in Tornadoes
Experiment 2 -- also called Vortex2 -- will start Sunday and run
through June 13. Researchers and scientists gathered Friday at the
National Weather Center in Norman to discuss the project.

Researchers hope to sample supercell thunderstorms in an effort
to learn more about how tornadoes form and the damage that they can
cause. They say the goal is to eventually improve lead times on
tornado warnings to the public.

More than 120 scientists and crew members will follow storms in
an area that includes parts of Oklahoma, South Dakota, Iowa,
Colorado, Missouri, Nebraska, Kansas and Texas.