Growing up in the quiet calm
of eastern Pennsylvania, Joshua Wurman had no idea he’d one day chase
tornadoes. But today, the 46-year-old director of the National Severe
Weather Center, in Boulder, Colo., patrols the Midwest, studying storms
that rip doors off cars. “It’s exciting,” he says, “but we’re careful.
The crew—and the instruments—have to be around for next time.”