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Thunderstorms and Tornadoes

Thunderstorms and Tornadoes. Last Lecture: We looked at severe weather events in the lower latitudes Principal weather event is the formation and movement of Tropical Cyclones Today: Today we will look at severe weather in the mid-latitudes Most severe weather is related to thunderstorms

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Thunderstorms and Tornadoes

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  1. Thunderstorms and Tornadoes • Last Lecture: • We looked at severe weather events in the lower latitudes • Principal weather event is the formation and movement of Tropical Cyclones • Today: • Today we will look at severe weather in the mid-latitudes • Most severe weather is related to thunderstorms • Significant convection and precipitation • Very strong winds • Produces thunder and lightning • Can also initiate tornados - most intense wind events on planet

  2. Thunderstorms and Tornadoes • Thunderstorms • Cells of local, intense convection resulting in the formation of cumulonimbus clouds, heavy rainfall, lightning and occasionally hail and tornados

  3. Thunderstorms and Tornadoes • Air Mass Thunderstorms • Isolated storms generated by daytime heating of land surface Convection Cell

  4. Thunderstorms and Tornadoes • Severe Thunderstorms • Thunderstorms with high winds, hail and possibly tornados

  5. Thunderstorms and Tornadoes • Mesoscale Convective System • Long-lived, intense cluster of convection cells • Mesoscale Convective Complexes • Large circular complex of thunderstorms active during the night

  6. Thunderstorms and Tornadoes • Squall line • Line of severe thunderstorms and very strong winds

  7. Thunderstorms and Tornadoes • Dry line • Boundary between hot, dry air and warm, moist air, which tends to form squall line

  8. Thunderstorms and Tornadoes • Lightning • electrical discharge producing light from cloud to cloud or cloud to ground • Thunder • sound of rapid expansion & cooling of superheated air around a lightning bolt

  9. Thunderstorms and Tornadoes • Charge Separation • Difference in charge between cloud top and bottom

  10. Thunderstorms and Tornadoes • Lightning stroke • Complex series of processes which produce electrical discharge between cloud and ground • Leader • Channel of ionized air along which lightning stroke propagates

  11. Thunderstorms and Tornadoes • Tornado • Small, intense cyclonic storm characterized by a funnel descending from mesocyclone

  12. Thunderstorms and Tornadoes Wind Shear • Tornado Dynamics Convection

  13. Thunderstorms and Tornadoes Mesocyclone • Tornado Dynamics con’t. Tornado

  14. Thunderstorms and Tornadoes • Tornado Structure

  15. Thunderstorms and Tornadoes • Weather Conditions during Formation Cold front provides Wind Shear Squall Line provides Convection

  16. Thunderstorms and Tornadoes • “Tornado Alley” • Region of the United States with high frequency of tornado occurrence

  17. Thunderstorms and Tornadoes • Fujita Scale • Measure of strength of tornado based upon severity of damage left behind

  18. Thunderstorms and Tornadoes • Detection of Tornado Vortex Signature using Radar Hook Echo

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