The Tri-State Tornado of 1925 was the deadliest tornado strike in American history, tearing through three states and killing 700 people. Almost a century later, the Joplin Tornado was a mile-wide monster that destroyed heart of a vibrant city. The true stories of these two events plus fascinating facts, profiles of tornado scientists and storm chasers.-- adapted from back cover.

Introduction : the Devil's Wind -- 'Everybody Must Be Dead" : the Tri-state tornado, 1925 : The Tri-State Files : My research journey -- The Tri-state tornado: By the numbers -- Path of destruction : the Tri-states's 219 mile journey of death -- After the tornado: Shattered lives, shattered land -- If you lived in the 1920s -- Adventures in weather science -- John Finley: Tornado genius -- History's deadliest tornadoes ; The Evil Swirling Darkness : the Joplin Files : My journey to Joplin -- The strength of Joplin -- The Joplin tornado: By the numbers -- Why the US is the world capital of tornadoes -- Can you speak tornado? -- The man called Mr. Tornado -- Hail horrors -- World of storm chasers -- When a storm chase turns deadly -- Staying safe in tornadoes.