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Dr. Robin Tanamachi 🌪️

@tornatrix.bsky.social

2.2K followers 420 following 1K posts

Assoc. prof at Purdue specializing in severe wx & radar. Storm chaser since 2001. All opinions expressed here are solely mine and not my employer's. She/her

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Dr. Robin Tanamachi 🌪️ @tornatrix.bsky.social · Nov 10

To my new followers here: Greetings! I’m a radar meteorologist who studies tornadoes & storms. I also study field work impacts on atmospheric science students’ learning & career aspirations (Fig. 1). Outside work, I’m a mom, spouse of @meteodan.bsky.social, cyclist, painter, & ham (WX0RT).

Fig. 1. A group of people under a thunderstorm cloud base. Prof. Tanamachi (far left) with 12 students on a storm chasing field trip in May 2024.

Dr. Robin Tanamachi 🌪️ @tornatrix.bsky.social · 7h

Correction: empty not full (my error)

Dr. Robin Tanamachi 🌪️ @tornatrix.bsky.social · 7h

And within 5 minutes, i already need to correct something: the asphalt car was empty, not full. My bad, not theirs. The grain cars were full (and still warranted the EF5 rating).

Dr. Robin Tanamachi 🌪️ @tornatrix.bsky.social · 7h

Hey, I wrote a blog for the first time in years. open.substack.com/pub/tornatri...

On retrospective EF scale upgrades using a new debris trajectory technique

The recent upgrade of the Enderlin, North Dakota EF5 tornado opens up a door for the community to reexamine EF scale ratings of past tornadoes.

open.substack.com

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Reposted by Dr. Robin Tanamachi 🌪️

Alan Gerard @wxmanms1.bsky.social · 16h

Chaos continues at the CDC as now HHS says some firings were "mistakes." I talk about why all of this matters for those concerned about weather and climate science. Also, serious coastal impacts along the East Coast today while flash flooding continues in areas of Southwest. tinyurl.com/bdf3tfjw

Looking at the chaos at the CDC and why it matters for federal meteorological science

In weather, significant coastal impacts peak on the East Coast next 36 hours, while flash flooding continues to impact parts of the Southwest

tinyurl.com

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Reposted by Dr. Robin Tanamachi 🌪️

Federico Pavan @federicopavan.bsky.social · 1d

Yesterday I got notified of this, which could be the earliest representation of an actual Italian tornado. Created by Norwegian painter Thomas Fearnley, this painting represents a waterspout in the Naples Gulf on July 8th 1833. The event is 100% real and not an harmless one

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Reposted by Dr. Robin Tanamachi 🌪️

Sarah J. Jackson @sjjphd.bsky.social · 1d

I’m not trying to give @pbs.org ideas for raising money—but I am. I would buy women’s fit T-shirts of all my favorite childhood shows. Reading rainbow, 321 contact, square one, zoobiliee zoo. I feel like two generations will run to donate even more money for shirts with Levar Burton on them…

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Reposted by Dr. Robin Tanamachi 🌪️

Alan Gerard @wxmanms1.bsky.social · 1d

OPM started laying off feds again yesterday - the administration and some Congressional leadership are acting like it's BECAUSE of the shutdown. I explain why that is nonsense and my concerns for how all this impacts federal science. Also discuss impactful wx East and West. tinyurl.com/yc7mtndv

OPM starts shutdown layoffs of federal employees

In weather: significant coastal impacts expected from East Coast storm, while rain and potential flash flooding continues in the Southwest

tinyurl.com

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Reposted by Dr. Robin Tanamachi 🌪️

Dave Sills 🌪️🎶⚓ @davesills.ca · 1d

A while back I had heard that there was a memorial plaque in Barrie, ON for the victims of the 31 May 1985 F4 tornado there. I lived for a while in Barrie and never saw it. I finally found it - and of course it’s in ‘Shear’ Park. #ONstorm

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Dr. Robin Tanamachi 🌪️ @tornatrix.bsky.social · 1d

Thank you, MIT.

Chronicle of Higher Education @chronicle.com · 2d

MIT President Kornbluth announced on Friday the university “cannot support” Trump’s compact, saying the university disagreed with a number of the principles laid out in the document, including policies that would limit freedom of expression and institutional independence.

MIT President Says ‘We Cannot Support’ Trump’s Compact

The institution’s president, Sally Kornbluth, wrote: The proposal “is inconsistent with our core belief that scientific funding should be based on scientific merit alone.”

chroni.cl

Reposted by Dr. Robin Tanamachi 🌪️

Stand Up for Science! @standupforscience.bsky.social · 1d

#GetOutTheVought‼️ Trump and Vought are decimating the federal workforce. This isn't just a shutdown stunt, this is in line with Project 2025's goal of cutting our government by 1 million workers.

STAND WITH SCIENCE!
✊Rally to TAKE BACK SCIENCE 10/17 @ 3pm ET
200 Independence Ave SW, Washington DC

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Dr. Robin Tanamachi 🌪️ @tornatrix.bsky.social · 1d

Rusty and Harper are recharging. #Caturday

An orange cat and a Siamese cat lying in the sun.

Reposted by Dr. Robin Tanamachi 🌪️

Noah Brauer @noaabrauer.bsky.social · 1d

Really glad to see this being implemented in Arapahoe County, which is a very long west-east county extending from Littleton-Deer Trail, CO and basically stretches through a common location for a Denver Convergence Vorticity Zone to setup (and has a high frequency of landspout tornadoes as a result)

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Dr. Robin Tanamachi 🌪️ @tornatrix.bsky.social · 1d

Note how the bird roost rings on the east side of Indiana expand slightly earlier than the ones on the west side, as the sunrise terminator progresses across the state from east to west. #radar

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Reposted by Dr. Robin Tanamachi 🌪️

Stand Up for Science! @standupforscience.bsky.social · 2d

Vought sounds layoff siren: ‘The RIFs have begun’

At least nine agencies appear to be affected.

www.politico.com

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Dr. Robin Tanamachi 🌪️ @tornatrix.bsky.social · 2d

It was such a… Karen?

Reposted by Dr. Robin Tanamachi 🌪️

Olivia Waite @oliviawaite.com · 5d

Surgeon Generals’ Warning: Secretary Kennedy has rejected science, misled the public and compromised the health of Americans. The nation deserves a health and human services secretary who is committed to scientific integrity and can restore morale and trust in our public health agencies.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2025/10/07/surgeons-general-rfk-jr-robert-kennedy/

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Reposted by Dr. Robin Tanamachi 🌪️

cira-csu.bsky.social @cira-csu.bsky.social · 4d

Moonlight illuminates Typhoon Halong while the infrared band reveals the inner structure of the storm, captured yesterday by NOAA-20.

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Dr. Robin Tanamachi 🌪️ @tornatrix.bsky.social · 4d

While I’m at the UCAR Member’s meeting, I’m reminding everyone of the internships, workshops, and other student opportunities that they have available! www.ucar.edu/exhibit/stud...

Exhibit resources | University Corporation for Atmospheric Research

www.ucar.edu

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Dr. Robin Tanamachi 🌪️ @tornatrix.bsky.social · 4d

“It is wrong to call this a compact, because there’s nothing mutual about it... It is a one-sided coercive proposition that has a bow of commonality stuck onto it that it doesn’t deserve. We need to call this what it is, which is an attempt to extort universities."

How Trump’s Compact Threatens Higher Ed Funding, Freedom

Higher ed organizations have raised alarm over a federal government document that asks universities to agree to significant restrictions without specifying what they’ll gain—or what they’ll lose for r...

www.insidehighered.com

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Reposted by Dr. Robin Tanamachi 🌪️

Northern Tornadoes Project 🇨🇦 @westernuntp.bsky.social · 6d

The CSSL/NTP assisted the US National Weather Service (NWS) with their upgrading of the official rating of the June 2025 Enderlin, ND tornado from EF3 to EF5.

Announced by the NWS today, it’s the first EF5-rated tornado in the US since 2013.

Details here: uwo.ca/ntp/blog/202...

Image B. Emfinger

Drone photo courtesy Brian Emfinger and used with permission.

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Reposted by Dr. Robin Tanamachi 🌪️

Connell Miller @connellmiller.ca · 6d

Excited to announce that my method for estimating wind speeds based on lofted debris in tornadoes was used as contextual evidence for upgrading the Enderlin, ND tornado to an EF5!

doi.org/10.1175/MWR-...

#NDwx #Enderlin #EF5 #Tornado

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Dr. Robin Tanamachi 🌪️ @tornatrix.bsky.social · 6d

Read the entire statement about the EF5 upgrade (linked below). EF5s are, by definition, rare and extraordinary events requiring extraordinary evidence and extra scrutiny.

Science doesn’t always operate on social media-friendly time scales. It’s better to have the rating be accurate than fast.

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Reposted by Dr. Robin Tanamachi 🌪️

SRHelicity @srhelicity.bsky.social · 6d

It should be noted that there certainly have been tornadoes in the past ~12 years (since the previous "most recent" EF5) that had 3 s, 10 m winds well in excess of 200 mph. However, there just haven't been damage indicators to capture those (largely because few DIs can 'hold out' to >200 mph).

IEMBot Grand Forks @fgf.weather.im · 6d

#FGF issues Public Information Statement (PNS) at Oct 6, 9:30 AM CDT ...Enderlin Tornado #1 Upgraded to EF-5... Link

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Dr. Robin Tanamachi 🌪️ @tornatrix.bsky.social · 6d

a man in a black leather jacket is standing in front of a purple background

ALT: a man in a black leather jacket is standing in front of a purple background

media.tenor.com

Reposted by Dr. Robin Tanamachi 🌪️

Dave Sills 🌪️🎶⚓ @davesills.ca · 8d

I've created a Bluesky Starter Pack called 'Canadian Severe Storms Community'. Makes it easy to find and follow severe storm forecasters, researchers, chasers and enthusiasts in Canada!

go.bsky.app/9eQf9Zd

Please let me know if you'd like to be added or if you think someone else needs to be added.

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