Watch Jim Cantore totally own this 3-D tornado in Weather Channels new lab

Jim Cantore rocked The Weather Channel’s new weather lab on Wednesday, giving viewers an anatomical tornado lesson with phenomenal 3-D visualization technology.

Cantore walks the viewer through the radar signatures that meteorologists key off on for the detection of tornadoes. The segment really gets good when Cantore yanks the storm up so we can see the tornado under the base of the supercell. He describes how meteorologists think a tornado forms, with the two crucial components of warm inflow and a cool rear flank downdraft.

The Weather Channel created this impressive visualization with a new studio that they’re calling “The Lab.” The Lab is 2,000 square feet and, in addition to 3-D graphics capabilities, holds 50 monitors. The Weather Channel says The Lab took 3,000 hours to complete, and doubles their severe weather capability.

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In other words, The Lab is weather geek central.

The Weather Channel has come under scrutiny over the past couple of years for its trend toward reality show programming — which prompted hot tempers during carriage negotiations with DirecTV and Verizon FiOS — and a prolific use of click-bait headline links on its homepage.

But despite all of the criticism, the Atlanta-based weather company has always maintained a high level of weather and science knowledge that it has built its reputation on over the past three decades. Through thick and thin, The Weather Channel’s world-class meteorologists have stood by the company, making it the meteorological powerhouse that it is. And this video — and The Lab itself — is a gold star example of where the company shines.

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