Tornado! (1996) on Netflix

Plot summary

Jake Thorne chases storms, and the machine his onetime graduate advisor Dr. Joe Branson has developed is meant to give earlier tornado warnings. Firing mechanisms on its four legs drive them two feet into the ground so the device holds steady and gathers data in a storm. Branson and Jake set up at the Texas ranch of Jake's grandfather Ephram, joined by an assistant, waiting for the tornadoes forecast for the days ahead. Samantha Callen, a government auditor, stays at the ranch while she decides whether the project warrants more funding, and Jake tries to persuade her the machine is worthwhile. In Amarillo, the meteorologist Ritchie, Jake's rival since high school, doubts his work.