There, Forbes studied under tornado scientist Ted Fujita and his thesis was regarding the 1974 Super Outbreak where he and Fujita did aerial and ground investigations documenting tornado paths and furthering ideas of the tornado family and of multiple-vortex tornadoes. It was with those data he confirmed in a 1981 article that the hook echo is an excellent clue on a weather radar for the development of tornadoes.
Forbes, while studying under meteorologist Ted Fujita, focused his thesis on the 1974 Super Outbreak and its impact on tornado research. He and Fujita conducted aerial and ground investigations to document tornado paths and further understanding of tornado families and multiple-vortex tornadoes. This work led him to confirm in a 1981 article that the hook echo is a valuable indicator for weather radar when predicting tornado development.