Tornado Hits Oklahoma On Anniversary Of Historic 1948 Forecast

A series of severe thunderstorms led to tornadoes across Oklahoma last night, killing one person and injuring several others. More than 75,000 people are without power and numerous schools are closed, as the damage is assessed.

On the same day in 1948, a tornado hit the Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma, causing considerable damage but few injuries and no fatalities. That is because Air Force Captain Robert Miller and Major Ernest Fawbush predicted the atmospheric conditions that led to the storm, based on another storm that occurred five days earlier.

Gary McManus is the state climatologist at the Oklahoma Climatological Survey. He tells Here & Now's Jeremy Hobson about that historic forecast and how it led to future forecasting.