The Perfect Storm: Intermediate Level

A perfect storm happens maybe only once in a hundred years. The phrase, "a perfect storm" is used by meteorologists - scientists who study the weather. It means that the storm could not be worse. This is the true story of the perfect storm of October 1991, and of some of the people who were caught in that terrible storm. It was the worst weather that many people had ever seen. At about midnight, on Monday, October 28th, the wind was blowing at 50 knots and some waves were about 45 feet high. At that point, the swordfishing boat, Andrea Gail, must have been climbing slowly up each wave, then going over the top and falling down the other side. An hour later, the waves were about 100 feet high, and the wind was blowing at 120 knots. And no one could get through to Captain Billy Tyne on the Andrea Gail's radio...