Mr. Tornado: American Experience

Pictured: Tetsuya Fujita

Credit: Courtesy of © Roger Tully

This film tells the story of Tetsuya Theodore Fujita, a Japanese-American scientist who devoted his life to unlocking the mysteries of severe storms.

Most widely known for creating the Fujita Scale, or F-Scale, of tornado damage intensity, Fujita brought relentless, creative energy to the field of meteorology. His unique, forensic analysis of the aftermath left by destructive forces, borne out of the ashes of the world’s first atomic bombs, enabled him to map science onto a phenomenon thought to be unknowable, forever changing our understanding of tornadoes. Written, directed and produced by Michael Rossi and executive produced by Mark Samels and Susan Bellows, Mr. Tornado airs Friday, May 29, 2020 at 3 p.m. on WXXI-WORLD (DT 21.2/cable 1275).