Dr. Jeff Masters' WunderBlog

Vortex2 tornado study finally gets some twisters to study

Posted by: Dr. Jeff Masters, 1:56 PM GMT en Junio 08, 2009

A proven way to reduce the incidence of dangerous weather phenomena is to schedule a multi-million dollar field experiment to study the phenomena. Up until this past weekend, that has certainly been true of this year's $10 million Vortex2 tornado study. The 7-week study (which also runs next year) has deployed an armada of over 100 storm chasing vehicles across the Great Plains this Spring, but has largely been frustrated by an exceptionally quiet tornado season. Tornado activity in May was less than half of what was observed last year in May, thanks to a ridge of high pressure that has dominated the weather. The residents of Tornado Alley ran out of luck over the weekend, though, as a strong low pressure system and associated cold front brought severe weather and multiple tornadoes to the region. Sixteen tornado reports were received by NOAA's Storm Prediction Center yesterday, and three on Friday. The team of University of Michigan students that has been writing our featured Vortex2 blog caught some excellent pictures of tornadoes on both Friday and Sunday. Yesterday was probably the last best chance for the Vortex2 project to document a strong tornado, since the project ends this Saturday and no significant tornado outbreaks appear likely for the remainder of this week.

Aurora, Colorado tornado yesterday
A tornado with a 3/4 mile wide debris cloud swept through Aurora, Colorado yesterday, staying on the ground for 8 - 11 miles and damaging a shopping mall, but causing no deaths or injuries. The tornado passed close to one of the high-resolution Terminal Doppler Weather Radars (TDWRs) that we now feature on our web site (see the radar FAQ for more details on these great new additions to our radar offerings). Posted below are the reflectivity and Doppler velocity images from the tornado, showing the amazing fine-scale details these high-resolution radars offer.

Figure 1. Radar reflectivity (top) and Doppler velocity (bottom) from the Denver, Colorado Terminal Doppler Weather Radar (TDWR), which caught the classic signature of a supercell thunderstorm tornado over Aurora, Colorado. A tornado dropped down from the low-level mesocyclone inside the parent supercell thunderstorm at the time of these images. Yellow colors located right next to greens/blues indicate that winds are moving towards and away from the radar in close proximity, the signature of strong rotation at low levels. Also visible on the plot are the winds spreading out from a downdraft on the rear side of the tornado. Black arrows denote the direction of wind flow. The dryline was bent back into a E-W orientation near Denver, creating an area of moisture convergence, which triggered thunderstorm formation.

Western Caribbean disturbance unlikely to develop this week
As area of disturbed weather over the Western Caribbean has brought rains of 2 - 3 inches over portions of Nicaragua and Honduras over the past few days. Wind shear is a high 20 - 30 knots over the disturbance, and no computer models are indicating that the disturbance will develop this week.

Jeff Masters, with help from wunderground's tornado expert, Dr. Rob Carver

(Vortex2)

Dying out after an official 24 minutes on the ground

Tornado (Fungus)

Twisted (rrose1)

This was taken approximately 30 minutes after a brief tornado passed through South Hutchinson, KS tonight. The building is a bus manufacturing facility.

Categories: Tornado

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1451. KEEPEROFTHEGATE (Mod) 12:36 AM GMT en Junio 10, 2009
Quoting AussieStormCome to Sydney Australia now at 09:50 EST Temperature: 11.5C (52.7F) Relative humidity: 35% Feels like: 9.1C (48.4F) Wind: W 22km/h (16.6mph) Wind gusts: 35km/h(21.7mph) and it ain't even winter yet Member Since: Julio 15, 2006 Posts: 147 Comments: 41318

1452. Drakoen 12:39 AM GMT en Junio 10, 2009
30-50 knots of blowing shear in the Caribbean. Member Since: Octubre 28, 2006 Posts: 57 Comments: 29012

1453. AussieStorm 12:40 AM GMT en Junio 10, 2009
Quoting Acemmett90: who's winning 5-0 Red Sox Bottom of 4th Member Since: Septiembre 30, 2007 Posts: 5 Comments: 13770

1456. zoomiami 12:41 AM GMT en Junio 10, 2009
This blog has unhealthy obsession over JFV, I think Dr. Masters is going to have to hire a psychologist to determine why a weather blog cannot go for a single day without reference....somethings wierd in blog world I think Member Since: Agosto 13, 2007 Posts: 10 Comments: 4071

1457. AussieStorm 12:41 AM GMT en Junio 10, 2009
Quoting KEEPEROFTHEGATE: When did I post that Keeper? It wasn't today. June 1st is the start of winter here. Member Since: Septiembre 30, 2007 Posts: 5 Comments: 13770

1459. gator23 12:41 AM GMT en Junio 10, 2009
Quoting WeatherStudent: Why? What have I done to you? But it's alright, regardless, I guess. No no nothing personal I was kidding. I just miss the old JFV moniker Member Since: Agosto 26, 2008 Posts: 0 Comments: 2030

1460. weatherbro 12:43 AM GMT en Junio 10, 2009
Dewpoint temperatures(Fahrenheit) are much better at telling how humid and dry it is(a 35 degree temp. with 100% humidity I'm sure you'll agree is not humid). 80+ degree dewpoints(very rare in the U.S.)=Severely oppressive puking ickiness! With a high of 107 degrees and a dewpoint of 95 degrees, Saudi Arabia(at the Persian gulf coast) experienced a heat index of up to 176 degrees. Talk about exposure! 70-80 degree dewpoints=Very oppressive though less tragic(unless air temps. approach the century mark). 60-70 degree dewpoints=Everyone complains it's a little sticky outside. 45-59 degree dewpoints=Fairly comfortable except when air temps are real high with absolutely no breeze in the heat of the day(it's still really nice just a little hot around the edges if you plan to hick). 44 and lower dewpoints=Conditions are absolutely fabulous(the lower the better. all wildfires and dust storms aside). it doesn't matter if it's breezy or not. If it's 64 or 124(The sun is your only enemy in a dry heat. Shade is an oasis). The tombs of Egypt are a testament to dry heats superiority! Member Since: Mayo 26, 2007 Posts: 47 Comments: 1156

1461. CatastrophicDL 12:43 AM GMT en Junio 10, 2009
Bad cell here - at least bad for Utah this time of year. We've had tornados but usually in August. Thank heavens no tornados today but, I thought I was going to have Texas type hail damage to my car! Link Might take a minute to load. Member Since: Septiembre 3, 2007 Posts: 3 Comments: 1519

1465. JRRP 12:49 AM GMT en Junio 10, 2009
Quoting StSimonsIslandGAGuy: Interesting weather456! About what I expected. Some stations in the Dominican Republic have reached 43C (109 F) it`s true Member Since: Agosto 16, 2007 Posts: 0 Comments: 4357

1466. MobileMob 12:53 AM GMT en Junio 10, 2009
Quoting DestinJeff: ...with all these "current conditions" posts I feel like John Ed Thompson's gone to full-time blogging in his retirement "82 in Marianna, 79 in Destin, 80 in Crestview, 79 in Mobile, 77 in Atmore, 80 in Enterprise, 78 in Panama City, 77 in Pensacola..." LOL I hope not

1467. Patrap 12:55 AM GMT en Junio 10, 2009
NOAA WEATHER ALERT radios Member Since: Julio 3, 2005 Posts: 377 Comments: 112968

1468. Makoto1 12:59 AM GMT en Junio 10, 2009
Wow, not much of a spread from 34 to 17. For where I am: Highest recorded: 105 F (41 C) Lowest recorded: -21 F (-29 C)

1469. DeerfieldBeachGuy 1:01 AM GMT en Junio 10, 2009
Good evening bloggers Im crawling out of the lurk-zone to say hello! Beautiful day here in Northeastern Broward, not a drop of the wet stuff. Let's see if we can get a few more days like today. Member Since: Agosto 2, 2007 Posts: 0 Comments: 318

1470. Ossqss 1:03 AM GMT en Junio 10, 2009
Quoting gator23: Can anyone tell me why JFV soesnt just use his JFV account? Was he banned? This weather student character makes me feel... uncomfortable... He was banned twice under different handles so far. Not how the rules work. Member Since: Junio 12, 2005 Posts: 6 Comments: 8154

1472. gator23 1:05 AM GMT en Junio 10, 2009
Quoting Ossqss: Quoting gator23: Can anyone tell me why JFV soesnt just use his JFV account? Was he banned? This weather student character makes me feel... uncomfortable... He was banned twice under different handles so far. Not how the rules work. ahhh Member Since: Agosto 26, 2008 Posts: 0 Comments: 2030

1474. TX2FL 1:17 AM GMT en Junio 10, 2009
1471-how would that kind of a swing happen? Here in N. Texas, during the fall, we'd have 75 or 80 degree temperatures and we'd get a strong cold front, and have a 40 degree drop in about 5 minutes. Driving from one end of the airport to another the temps were wildly different. Member Since: Julio 14, 2008 Posts: 0 Comments: 117

1475. TX2FL 1:18 AM GMT en Junio 10, 2009
Hello StormW! Member Since: Julio 14, 2008 Posts: 0 Comments: 117

1476. Drakoen 1:19 AM GMT en Junio 10, 2009
Quoting WeatherStudent: Yup, but for how much longer though, drak? Forever. Member Since: Octubre 28, 2006 Posts: 57 Comments: 29012

1478. Seastep 1:22 AM GMT en Junio 10, 2009
Quoting Drakoen: Forever. LOL. No question. Destructive atm and immediate future. Member Since: Septiembre 9, 2008 Posts: 6 Comments: 3407

1479. Patrap 1:24 AM GMT en Junio 10, 2009
GOES-WV loop,Tropical Atlantic Basin,wide view Member Since: Julio 3, 2005 Posts: 377 Comments: 112968

1480. taco2me61 1:25 AM GMT en Junio 10, 2009
Quoting StormW: To set the time: 1. In Clock Display Mode, press and hold MODE for 2 seconds. 2. To change the setting, press or . 3. Press MODE to confirm and move onto the next setting. 4. The setting sequence is 12 / 24 hour format, hour, minute, year, month-date format, month, day and day of the week language (English, French or Spanish) So StormW did you ever figure it out???? LOL Taco :0) Member Since: Julio 7, 2005 Posts: 6 Comments: 2788

1482. KEEPEROFTHEGATE (Mod) 1:31 AM GMT en Junio 10, 2009
window to open how long remains to be seen Member Since: Julio 15, 2006 Posts: 147 Comments: 41318

1483. weatherwatcher12 1:32 AM GMT en Junio 10, 2009
My power just came back :) Member Since: Mayo 16, 2009 Posts: 1 Comments: 1231

1484. Tazmanian 1:32 AM GMT en Junio 10, 2009
As Yahoo! Messenger gets older so too do some of the “vintage” versions that are still in use by some users. In an effort to provide the best experience for our users and maintain high security standards, we will officially retire Yahoo! Messenger versions 6.0 through 7.5 in August, 2009. This means that if you are currently using a version of Yahoo! Messenger that is below 8.0, you will no longer be able to sign in and use it after the retirement date in August. If you are one of these users, you’ll begin seeing messages in-product about the upcoming retirement. You have several options for continuing to use Yahoo! Messenger: Member Since: Mayo 21, 2006 Posts: 5089 Comments: 111615

1485. weatherwatcher12 1:35 AM GMT en Junio 10, 2009
Quoting Weather456: Thanks..I remember going to: http://weather.caribseek.com/ when Arthur was made landfall in Belize last year the one for jamaica is http://www.metservice.gov.jm/ Member Since: Mayo 16, 2009 Posts: 1 Comments: 1231

1486. Ossqss 1:36 AM GMT en Junio 10, 2009
Quoting WeatherStudent: Why do you treat me that way? :( Frankly, because you deserve it. You had your chances to come clean and tell the truth and you chose to take a different direction. Look at your history. Why?? Rule of thumb #2 If you always tell the truth, you never have to remember what you said. Member Since: Junio 12, 2005 Posts: 6 Comments: 8154

1487. adrianalynne 1:36 AM GMT en Junio 10, 2009
Quoting StormW: To set the time: 1. In Clock Display Mode, press and hold MODE for 2 seconds. 2. To change the setting, press or . 3. Press MODE to confirm and move onto the next setting. 4. The setting sequence is 12 / 24 hour format, hour, minute, year, month-date format, month, day and day of the week language (English, French or Spanish) Storm! Thanks!!! I was totally over thinking that Member Since: Agosto 7, 2006 Posts: 0 Comments: 134

1489. KEHCharleston 1:41 AM GMT en Junio 10, 2009
Quoting Ossqss: Rule of thumb #2 If you always tell the truth, you never have to remember what you said. What is rule #1? Member Since: Agosto 19, 2008 Posts: 6 Comments: 2490

1490. hahaguy 1:43 AM GMT en Junio 10, 2009
Quoting KEHCharleston: What is rule #1? Don't drink the water in Mexico. Member Since: Agosto 12, 2007 Posts: 2 Comments: 2838

1491. KEEPEROFTHEGATE (Mod) 1:45 AM GMT en Junio 10, 2009
Quoting AussieStorm: When did I post that Keeper? It wasn't today. June 1st is the start of winter here. your not even in the dead of winter yet aussie thats what i mean friend Member Since: Julio 15, 2006 Posts: 147 Comments: 41318

1492. Drakoen 1:47 AM GMT en Junio 10, 2009
Quoting hahaguy: Don't drink the water in Mexico. Don't go to Mexico...period Member Since: Octubre 28, 2006 Posts: 57 Comments: 29012

1493. taco2me61 1:48 AM GMT en Junio 10, 2009
Quoting StormW: you're welcome! Don't feel bad...happens to me a lot!! Sorry about that Storm I miss read that post and thought you were the one having trouble.... My Bad. I will pay a little more attention here... Taco :0) Member Since: Julio 7, 2005 Posts: 6 Comments: 2788

1494. hahaguy 1:48 AM GMT en Junio 10, 2009
Quoting Drakoen: Don't go to Mexico...period True , you'll get killed by the cartels Member Since: Agosto 12, 2007 Posts: 2 Comments: 2838

1495. Ossqss 1:50 AM GMT en Junio 10, 2009
Quoting KEHCharleston: What is rule #1? If you don't give someone the power to bother you, they can't ! I appologize to the blog, but there were many things done that justified what happened in the past. History is know by those affected. Member Since: Junio 12, 2005 Posts: 6 Comments: 8154

1496. Drakoen 1:51 AM GMT en Junio 10, 2009
It seems we have a philosopher in the blog... Member Since: Octubre 28, 2006 Posts: 57 Comments: 29012

1497. KEHCharleston 1:52 AM GMT en Junio 10, 2009
Quoting Ossqss: If you don't give someone the power to bother you, they can't ! Oh yes... I remember now. Member Since: Agosto 19, 2008 Posts: 6 Comments: 2490

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