Be blown away by a 40-foot tornado swirling before you. See bolts of lightning crack over your head. Trigger an avalanche. Unleash a tsunami wave.

It’s all possible in Science Storms, an unprecedented and dramatic permanent exhibit in Allstate Court that reveals the extraordinary science behind some of nature’s most powerful and compelling phenomena—tornados, lightning, fire, tsunamis, sunlight, avalanches and atoms in motion. Science Storms was awarded the Excellence in Exhibition award in 2011, the top honor by the American Association of Museums.

“Creating transformative experiences that get people excited about the world around them is what the Museum of Science and Industry does best, and exhibits like Science Storms are our most powerful teaching tools,” said David Mosena, president and CEO of the Museum of Science and Industry.

Inside the 26,000-square-foot exhibit, you’ll investigate the basic principles of chemistry and physics that are responsible for nature’s biggest wonders, while you get a hands-on, up-close look at these wonders themselves. Science Storms puts you in the middle of the action and lets you search for answers as to how and why things happen in nature.