Lecture #18
Supercell Storms and Tornadoes (Continued)
Friday, 2 March 2001

Text Reading for Lecture #18
Severe Thunderstorms (385-395)
Tornadoes (403-413)

SUPERCELL STORMS (Continued)

Supercell schematic (KNOW THIS!!!)

Numerical simulations of supercell
storms are HERE.

Jason Levit's May 3rd Video - to compare
with the schematic above.

Rotation and Downdrafts

Movie Showing Onset of Storm
Rotation

Other information on supercells
available HERE

Stages of a Tornado

Large tornadoes typically proceed through a
distinct 3-stage life-cycle:

Schematic of Funnel Stage

Photo of Funnel Stage (Courtesy Bob Houze, U of Washington)

Schematic of Mature Stage

Photo of Mature Stage

Schematic of Rope Stage

Photo of Rope Stage (Courtesy Bob Houze, U of Washington)

Other tornado photos HERE

Multi-Vortex Tornadoes

Schematic of multi-vortex tornado

Photograph of multi-vortex tornado

Photograph of scratch marks made by a multi-vortex tornado.

Non-Supercell Tornadogenesis

Tornadoes can form from lines of relatively
clouds that are growing above a surface
wind-shift line (along which vertical rotation
exists and can be stretched to intensify the
vortex, leading sometimes to weak tornadoes
often referred to as "land spouts").

Life cycle of non-supercell tornadoes (Wakimoto and
Wilson, MWR, 1989).

Movies of non-supercell tornadoes via numerical simulation

F-Scale and Damage

The Tornado Project Online - A Good Source of
Information for the Curious

The OU Doppler on Wheels Radar

Climatology of Tornadoes

Courtesy Harold Brooks, NSSL

Courtesy Harold Brooks, NSSL

Courtesy Harold Brooks, NSSL

Courtesy Harold Brooks, NSSL

Other severe storm climatology information
can be found HERE.