This book documents the violent weather-tornadoes-spawned by severe thunderstorms that strike the Great Plains of the United States. Written by an internationally recognized research scientist, the book presents a historical account of the study of the nature of tornadoes and their origin, describing the first scientifically motivated storm chases in the Great Plains, the use of meteorological Doppler radars and other instrumentation, simulation of storms on computers, and the documentation of weather phenomena during storm chases. Interwoven are stories of serendipitous discoveries, the intense excitement of close encounters with tornadoes, and the agonizing disappointments of unsuccessful chases and equipment failure. Most of all, the book conveys the sense of beauty, elegance, and mystery of the violent weather pursued by the author and his fellow students and scientists. Profusely illustrated with spectacular colour and black-and-white photographs, the book will appeal to the layperson or amateur weather enthusiasts as well as the professional scientist: for the latter, appendices with more detailed discussion of severe weather phenomena are included.