Tornado chasers generally stay about a mile away from the tornado itself -- but not IMAX cinematographer Sean Casey. He has built a Tornado Intercept Vehicle and hopes to withstand a direct hit. Check it out. See more »

When the earliest tornado on record was observed, onlookers called it a "steeple of fire." Technological advancements like the Totable Tornado Observatory have since helped demystify these powerful storms. See more »

Have you ever wondered how weather stations gather all of their data? Even though technology for predicting the weather has improved, simple weather balloons do a lot of the hard work every day. See more »

Anemometer, an instrument for measuring wind speed. Anemometers are used not only in weather recording and forecasting, but also in mines, tunnels, and ventilation systems; in aircraft testing and other experimental work; and in aerial navigation. See more »

Barometer, a device for measuring atmospheric pressure (the pressure resulting from the weight of the air above a given point). See more »

Hygrometer, a device for determining the humidity of the atmosphere. It can indicate relative humidity (the percentage of moisture in the air), absolute humidity (the amount of moisture), or both. See more »

Rain Gauge, an instrument used to measure precipitation. Rain is measured directly; snow, hail, and sleet must first be melted. See more »

Thermometers are used to measure the temperature of all sorts of things, from a fever to the heat in an oven to the weather. Various thermometers exist with various scales for temperature measurement. Take this quiz to see how much you know about thermometers. See more »

Thermometer, an instrument for measuring temperature. The measurement is always indirect, that is, it is a measurement not of temperature itself but of the effect of temperature on some physical property of a material used in the thermometer. See more »

Weather Vane, or Wind Vane, a device that shows the direction of the wind. A common type is an arrow fixed to an upright rod that is able to rotate freely, so that the arrow always points into the wind. See more »