Tornado Week Returns to The Weather Channel With Tornado-Themed Programming Marathons and Three New Specials

ATLANTA (April 23, 2013) - On Monday, April 29, The Weather Channel will kick off Tornado Week, its most popular programming event, with more content than ever. This year's tornado-themed programming will include two new original specials, "The Truth About Twisters" and "Tornado 360"; new special episodes of "Storm Riders"; a special episode of "Deadliest Space Weather" on space tornadoes; and daily blocks of tornado-centric series. This will be a four-screen experience with tornado-themed content on all platforms, including TV, weather.com, mobile and tablet.

"Tornado Week is destination viewing for weather enthusiasts," said David Clark, president of The Weather Channel network. "For those who share our awe of tornadoes' astonishing power and destruction, they will be glued to our programming this week - and that's as close to tornadoes as we ever want them to get."

The Weather Channel

Each afternoon, from 2-5 p.m. ET and evenings from 8 p.m.-1 a.m. ET, will feature blocks of tornado-themed episodes of "Storm Stories," "Weather Caught On Camera," "Storm Riders," "When Weather Changed History," "It Could Happen Tomorrow," "Full Force Nature," and "Hacking the Planet," as well as the following original specials:

"Tornado 360" (Premieres Monday, April 29, at 9 p.m. ET - 30 minutes)

"Tornado 360" investigates the tornado super cell that formed in late April 2011 above Little Rock, AR, and continued, as a series of twisters, to tear through Tuscaloosa and other Alabama towns. With eyewitness testimony, every gripping angle of this once-in-a-lifetime disaster is covered, including the aftermath, the survivors and volunteer response. Cutting-edge graphics and animations reveal exactly how a simple twist in the wind can develop into an EF-5 tornado and how one storm created four EF-5 twisters in a single day - resulting in $11 billion in damage. "Tornado 360" is produced by Flight 33, producers of "Deadliest Space Weather."

"Storm Riders" (Three new episodes premiere Tuesday, April 30, beginning at 8:30 p.m. ET - 30 minutes)

Maverick meteorologists Simon Brewer and Juston Drake return to The Weather Channel to continue their quest across the country to witness the most powerful storms. "Storm Riders" is a raw, behind-the-scenes series following these two meteorologists, who run a barebones operation - no high-tech equipment or gadgets, just a cell phone connection and a map - in search of the next big tornado or hurricane.

"The Truth About Twisters" (Premieres Wednesday, May 1, at 9 p.m. ET - 60 minutes)

Ever heard that you should open the windows before a tornado? Or that a highway overpass is a safe tornado shelter? Whether handed down as folklore or spread by under-informed reports, misinformation about tornadoes has endured for generations. "The Truth About Tornadoes" follows "Hacking the Planet" host John Rennie as he takes to the road, meeting scientists and survivors who will offer demonstrations and eyewitness testimony, to help separate fact from fiction. Knowing the truth just might save your life. "The Truth About Twisters" is produced by Castle Pictures, producers of "Hacking the Planet."

"Deadliest Space Weather: Tornadoes" (Airs Thursday, May 2, at 9 p.m. ET - 30 minutes)

Tornadoes are not just a deadly phenomenon on Earth. They roar across the face of the sun and the depths of the galaxy like twisters on a Kansas prairie. The sun itself is home to giant tornadoes as large as the entire United States. If these space tornadoes were to appear on Earth, it would make the average EF-5 twister seem like a light breeze. This encore episode of "Deadliest Space Weather: Tornadoes" explores what would happen if a space tornado touched down on Earth and what it would take to protect us from destruction.

Live Programming: "Tornado Hunt" (ongoing through April/May)

Storm chaser and on-camera meteorologist Mike Bettes has returned to the heart of Tornado Alley for Tornado Hunt 2013, a unique live, multi-platform experience that takes consumers into the heart of the search for tornadoes. Now in its fifth year, Bettes and an expert team of storm chasers once again embark on a journey through the Plains to capture tornadoes live on air, online, mobile and tablet.

weather.com

The site's Tornado Central section (http://wxch.nl/10ySSJL) features current radar and areas under threat of severe weather, tornado safety and preparedness tips, tornado-themed stories and lists, and more. weather.com's special Tornado Hunt section (www.weather.com/tornado) offers clips of the Tornado Hunt team reporting from the road, tornado-related video, a link to Weather Underground's Tornado Hunt tracker (below), a photo galley, live tweets following #tornadohunt, and additional tornado-related stories and content.

Weather Underground (wunderground.com)

Users can track the position of the Tornado Hunt vehicle during the past 24 hours with Wundermap, a real-time tracker following the Tornado Hunt team (www.wunderground.com/tornadohunt).

Social

facebook.com/tornadohunt

#TornadoHunt and #TornadoWeek

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