Atomic Twister

Two devastating tornadoes strike the Hellman-Klein Nuclear Power Plant, crippling critical infrastructure. The first hit damages a power transformer and a generator, and security guard Stu is killed in the chaos, plunging the facility into a precarious state with very little power.

Shift supervisor Corrine Maguire springs into action, trying to reach the NRC to report the emergency and request guidance. As communications falter, she remains focused on securing official coordination for a response.

Operator Neville makes a fateful decision to shut down non-vital systems, including the electric pumps, in a bid to shave load and keep the reactor under some control. This move reduces available cooling and foreshadows the worsening crisis.

A second tornado roars in, bringing fresh destruction and damaging the diesel pumps, leaving the cooling system dangerously compromised. The plant's fate is sealed for the moment as the storm rages on.

Campbell Maguire, Corrine’s 12-year-old son, is swept toward the plant on his bike as his babysitter Stacy is killed in the chaos. His tireless sprint toward the facility becomes a thread of hope amid the storm.

With the diesel pumps out of commission, the staff race to restart the electric pumps, but the attempt falters as the reactor overheats and coolant begins to evaporate from the waste pool. The SCRAM attempt is hampered by a nonresponsive computer.

Corrine is away trying to establish contact with the NRC, while Neville sacrifices his safety by locking himself in the containment room and ordering the electric pumps shut down to divert coolant away from the core.

Deputy Jake Hannah searches for Campbell and discovers him on the road. In a life-threatening sequence, Jake rescues Campbell and saves Ashley when a hillside collapses around them.

Fire crews spray water into the cooling pool, hoping to slow the heat. However, their efforts are limited as the storm rages and the cooling remains insufficient.

The NRC team identifies a disused diesel generator in the original blueprints and prioritizes connecting it to the plant’s pumps. The plan gains urgency as fuel logistics strain under the storm.

A tanker driver bravely delivers diesel fuel amid the storm, with Jake drawing on his trucking background to intercept the driver and bring the fuel to the plant. The staff race to install the generator and reconnect pumps.

Corrine oversees the installation of the generator and the reactivation of the pumps, feeding coolant back into the waste pool and stabilizing temperatures just in time. The plant stabilizes as temperatures decline and the immediate meltdown threat fades.

The reactor stabilizes and the crisis begins to recede; Campbell and Corrine reunite, while Jake and Ashley begin planning a future together with a wedding on the horizon.

In the aftermath, Corrine watches over Neville, who bears terminal radiation poisoning from his act inside the containment area. He is wheeled away to the hospital as the community begins to heal, tempered by memory of what nearly happened.