When it premiered in 1996, Twister put forth a fantastical science fiction idea: release probes into a storm to find which tornadoes could turn into killers.
It's no longer fiction. Oklahoma State University researchers are designing and building sleek, Kevlar-reinforced unmanned aircraft - or drones - to fly directly into storms and send back real-time data to first responders and forecasters.
"We have all the elements in place," said Stephen McKeever, Oklahoma's secretary of science and technology. "We have the world's best natural laboratory."
Oklahoma is the heart of Tornado Alley, and has emerged battered, yet standing, from seven tornadoes with winds exceeding 320km/h. The May 20 tornado in Moore that killed 24 people was one.
Yesterday the toll from the latest tornadoes on Saturday reached 14 in total with 11 in Oklahoma, including a mother and her baby who were sucked out of a car. In Missouri, authorities said three people died from severe flooding in the wake of the storms.