“This is a life-threatening situation. You could be killed if not underground or in a tornado shelter.” That was the explicit public warning heard in communities across five states over the weekend as a weather pattern idea for the creation of severe storms lived up to its billing by weather forecasters. More than 100 tornadoes in 24 hours hit following an extraordinarily clear and persistent series of warnings days in advance. But the warning did nothing to temper the severity of the storms. Michael Kimball is a reporter with The Oklahoman, the largest daily newspaper in Oklahoma.