Ta-da!
-Answer Time -Answer Time!
-It's StoryBots: Answer Time -Answer Time!
They live in your computer And they got a job to do
They're all about learning And they make it fun too
When you have a question They answer it for you
It's StoryBots: Answer Time
Answer Time!
-Hey there! How's it going? -Boop!
Hi, Bo. Do insects sleep?
Oh, that's a good question. Let's ask.
-What the… -What is it, dear?
Just the StoryBots with another preposterous question.
I guess that answers the question.
Hey, Bing. High five!
All right!
Not again! I can never resist a high five.
Boop?
Boop-boop.
Boop-boop-boop.
Wow, Boop, I didn't realize you spoke Car. What do they want?
Boop-boop-boop.
Oh. Well, why didn't they just say so?
We've got a Level Three coming in!
Oh, StoryBots!
StoryBots, I am so happy to see you.
And we're glad to see you, Mr Cow.
Oh, thank you, Bo.
You've no idea how much I appreciate your kindness,
given how nervous and jittery I've been.
Tried deep breathing?
It really helps me when I need to get all centred and stuff.
Funny you should say that.
My therapist recommended meditation, but nothing seems to help.
Help with what?
A few weeks ago, I'm in the field, next to the tractor, to grab a bite.
Nice, juicy grass. Always greener on the other side of the tractor.
And so all of a sudden, the sky grows dark and it started to rain.
Doesn't sound so bad.
Yes, rain is a pretty natural occurrence, Mr Cow.
Oh, StoryBots, no. It wasn't the rain.
It was the tractor.
What was wrong with the tractor?
Oh, nothing.
Other than the fact that it got sucked straight into the sky!
How did that happen?
A twister, Bing! A tornado!
It came out of nowhere, and poof!
It was gone! The tractor disappeared!
Oh my gosh! Are you okay?
I was. That time.
What about next time? Or the time after that?
Boop-boop, boop?
If a tornado can take a tractor, it could definitely take a cow. This cow!
Sorry, Mr Cow. I don't think we can help you stop a tornado.
No, I don't need you to help me stop one.
Just help me understand how they form.
That way, I can spot one coming in advance, and get myself to safety.
Sounds reasonable enough.
Sure does.
You can help? You can tell me how tornados are formed?
There's a weather documentary playing at the Majestic Movie Complex.
It's full of tornados.
-Great idea, Beep. -Awesome idea.
Fantastic! Fantastic, StoryBots. Thank you so much.
Please hurry. Every minute I spend waiting for an answer
is another minute a tornado could come and take me away.
Don't worry, Mr Cow. We are on the job.
Answer Time!
Hi, StoryBots. Can you tell me a fun fact?
Fun fact number 89,827,369.
If you could drive a car at 60 mph straight into the sky,
it'd take about an hour to get to space.
Here we are, kids. Outer space.
Ever seen anything like it?
It's awesome.
So amazing.
I have to go to the toilet.
Couldn't you have thought of that before we left Earth?
StoryBots, what's your favourite animal?
I have finally done it, Egad.
I have invented the strangest creature the world has ever seen!
Oh dear.
By diabolically combining a mouse and a pigeon, I give you…
Pigeonus Mousus!
-Hey, turn off the light. -Aw, it's a little bat.
Little what?
A bat. A flying mammal that looks like a mouse and has wings like a bird,
though it's not related to either.
Wait. Flying mammals are already a thing?
Yeah. It can also navigate in the dark.
Oh, why can I never invent anything weirder than nature?
Why?!
Next stop, StoryBots Majestic Movie Complex.
Hello, welcome to the Majestic Movie Complex. How can I help?
One ticket for the weather documentary.
Excellent choice. A true meteorological tour de force.
Just one tiny little problem.
Oh? What's that?
We don't have screens to show the movie.
Oh my gosh, what happened?
It started to get really windy,
then all of a sudden there was this loud train sound, and…
Keep your eyes peeled. That tornado must be somewhere here.
Wait, did you say tornado?
Of course. What else could've caused this kind of devastation?
You're that famous weather documentarian, Chase Weathers.
That's right.
Me and my team have been tracking strange weather for my next project.
This autumn,
prepare for the most electrifying half hour of television
when we premiere When Weather Attacks: Volume 12.
Join Chase and his elite storm-chasing team
as they brave flash floods, blizzards in sub-zero temperatures,
devastating 100% humidity,
and more.
When Weather Attacks: Volume 12.
The last thing I need to complete my special is footage of a tornado.
Boss, we got a sighting at the old Paxton farm.
I repeat, there's a tornado at the old Paxton farm.
Okay, gang.
Let's roll!
Hey, Chase, think I can tag along?
Depends. Think you have what it takes to be an elite storm tracker?
Maybe?
Good enough. Let's roll!
Time to catch you up to speed.
We have the best weather-tracking technology our network can afford.
Our computer picked up the formation of a larger storm known as the supercell,
which can lead to the biggest and most destructive tornados.
Got it.
See how the wind near the ground is moving in this direction?
And the wind above is moving in a different direction?
I see.
When that happens, the two winds can merge to form a spinning horizontal tube of air.
Whoa, that's awesome!
That's nothing. True awesomeness comes when there's condensation in the clouds.
Why is that?
The heat pulls the spinning funnel of air up towards the sky.
We see the funnel getting pulled up.
When the funnel connects the clouds on the high end,
touching the ground on the low end, that's when we get--
Tornado!
Come on, team, grab your camera. We got a live one!
Hi, StoryBots. How big is the tallest tree?
That woodpecker nest sure is high up there.
That's one heck of a big tree, Doink.
Dink, how tall do you think the tallest tree is?
Oh, I don't know. I'd say it's at least six feet tall.
Six feet tall? Are you out of your mind?
If that's any taller than five feet, I'm a red-breasted sapsucker.
Wait.
If you think the tallest tree in the world is only five feet tall,
you're a sucker, all right, but you ain't a bird.
-You don't know anything about trees. -Yeah? My middle name is trees.
All right, that's it.
I cannot bird-watch with someone who thinks trees can be six feet tall.
Well, I can't bird-watch with someone who thinks trees are only five feet tall.
I'm packing my binoculars and heading home.
-Good, Dink. -Good, Doink.
-Goodbye, Dink. -Doink.
Please excuse my interruption.
Sorry, you're both slightly off in your calculations.
On average, most large trees can grow between 40 and 100 feet tall,
but the tallest tree on record
is a California redwood that grew to roughly 380 feet tall.
Taller than a 30-storey building.
Yeah, right, lady. And I'm the great Sherlock Holmes.
380 feet? This bear must think we were born yesterday.
-Come on, Dink. -Let's get outta here.
This bear wouldn't know a redwood from a kitchen sink.
-Trees -Measuring trees, measuring trees
From the bottom of the trunk To the top of the leaves
How tall are those? How tall are these?
You've got to find out by measuring trees
Some are real tall, others are short Others are more of an in-between sort
Most big trees when growth is complete Get to be between 40 and 100 feet
But that's not the highest a tree can go Some are way bigger, they grow and grow
A super-sized redwood tops them all
-It's about 380 feet tall -Tall
That's 32 fire engines stacked up high
Much higher than most kites fly
With so many sizes and varieties
You're sure to see a lot When you're measuring trees
Tall ones, small ones, bushy ones All kinds of trees
Next stop, Chase Weathers' storm-tracking van.
All right, gang, follow that tornado!
There it is! Grab the camera!
-Are you getting this? -I'm getting this!
Did ya get it?
I got it!
Do you have it?
I had it.
No!
Sorry about your camera. Maybe we could find shelter?
Hey, tornado! Yeah, you!
Haven't you got nothing better to do than going around being such a meanie?
Wait, you guys think I'm a meanie?
Well, duh.
What else would you call something that goes around destroying everything?
Well, it's not like I enjoy being destructive.
Deep down inside, I'm just a… wisp of wind.
Woe is me, once I was a simple breeze
Whoa-oh, that is my fondest recollection
A faster breeze blew over me
But in a different direction
-We formed a tube of spinning air -Horizontal near the ground
-Meanwhile the sky above was stormy -Full of dark and heavy clouds
-With lightning flashing everywhere -And the thunder booming loud
-A massive supercell had formed -Formed
What a storm!
Oh, when the clouds condensed to rain
Condensation gives off heat
Warm air lifts me to the sky
In the thunder, rain, and hail
Now a funnel cloud am I
Warning sirens start to wail
-And a downdraft brings me down -Down
-Brings me down -Down to the ground
Woe is me, I've become a full tornado For I've touched down on the earth
When the funnel hits the surface That's a true tornado's birth
I go whirling, I go swirling
I'm a fearsome thing to see
As she kicks up dust and dirt And turns a bridge into debris
Oh, woe is me
-I didn't want to be a twister -Spreading trouble and travail
-Tearing roofs, uprooting trees -Poor defenceless little trees
Oh, and so my tale is sad and bitter
Such a sad and bitter tale
I long to be a simple breeze
Oh, woe is me
That was beautiful, Ms Tornado, and informative.
Listen, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to call you a meanie, I…
How about we start fresh? Get to know each other.
What do you say, friend?
Friend? I've never had one of those before.
I'd love to stay, but I've got an answer to deliver.
-Thanks for your help, everyone. Bye! -So long, Beep!
Team, you might wanna grab your umbrellas. There's about to be a downpour
of friendship.
Welcome, class.
A tornado is a fast-spinning tube of air.
My assistant Gopher will demonstrate the formation
using my tornado simulator ZX9,
which lets us observe a tornado in 100% complete safety.
-Gopher, please. -Mm-hmm.
When wind near the ground moves in one direction,
and wind above moves in a different direction,
it can form a horizontal tube of spinning air.
In the clouds, the condensation that makes rain and hail gives off heat,
which makes air near the ground move upward.
As this air moves upward,
it tilts the horizontal tube of spinning air to an upright position.
This upright spinning tube of air can then pull hail, rain,
dirt, and other things into it.
And this tube stretches from the cloud to the ground, a tornado is born.
These storms can have huge dark clouds,
lightning, thunder, large hail and strong winds.
What have you done to my tornado simu--
And that's how tornados form.
Hello? Mr Cow, are you there? Come in.
Beep, thank goodness you're back.
I can't stop thinking about that tractor that got sucked into the sky!
Don't worry, I've got your answer. I know how tornados form.
I feel safer already. What do you got for me?
Tornados start to form when winds blowing in opposite directions
create a horizontal tube of spinning air.
Okay, tube of air, got it. What's next?
When rain and hail form in the clouds, it generates heat,
which can cause the tube of spinning air to tilt towards the sky.
Oh, okay.
So a tube of air starts tilting upward because of the heat.
If the top of the tube touches the storm cloud
and the bottom touches the ground…
That's how tornados form.
You've got it!
Oh, thank you, Beep.
To be honest, I'm still nervous.
Still thinking about that tractor getting sucked into the sky?
No, now I'm thinking about it coming down.
On me!