Tornado Intercept: The Union City Twister and the Birth of Doppler Radar
Channel: NOAA Weather Partners
Date: 2023-05-24

On May 24, 1973 an F-4 tornado tore through Union City, Okla. With a Tornado Intercept Team in the field and a then-experimental Doppler radar just miles away, NSSL researchers made history, capturing for the first time the full lifecycle of a tornado with Doppler radar and discovering the tornadic vortex signature (TVS). 

In the 50 years since Union City, NSSL has been a driver of innovation in radar technology, helping forecasters increase warning times and save lives.