The Role of Multiple-Vortex Tornado Structure in Causing Storm Researcher Fatalities

Wurman, Joshua; Kosiba, Karen; Robinson, P.; Marshall, Tim

doi:10.1175/bams-d-13-00221.1

Cited by 81 publications

(65 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…Thus, the simulated tornado evolved from a one-cell to a two-cell structure, and subsequently exhibited a multiple-vortex structure. Such a transition of the vortex structure was also observed in previous laboratory experiments (Ward 1972;Church et al 1979), idealized simulations using LES (e.g., Rotunno 1979;Lewellen et al 1997), and observational studies (e.g., Wurman 2002, Lee and Wurman 2005, Wurman et al 2014). The multiple-vortex structure was most distinct at about 26 m height and became obscure above 200 m height.…”

Section: Super High-resolution Simulation Of the 6 May 2012 Tsukuba Ssupporting

confidence: 79%

“…Subvortices B, C, and D cyclonically rotated around the tornado center at a speed less than half the maximum tangential velocity of the tornado vortex, which is consistent with the laboratory experiment (Ward 1972) and idealized numerical studies (Lewellen et al 1997). The movement of these subvortices is somewhat reminiscent of a trochoidal motion of subvortices observed by Doppler radar (Wurman et al 2014) and the damage path associated with a suction vortex (Fujita 1971). The subvortex B eventually merged with the subvortex A on the southwestern side of the tornado.…”

Section: Super High-resolution Simulation Of the 6 May 2012 Tsukuba Ssupporting

confidence: 79%

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Super High-Resolution Simulation of the 6 May 2012 Tsukuba Supercell Tornado: Near-Surface Structure and Its Evolution

Mashiko¹,

Niino

2017

SOLA

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A super high-resolution simulation of the 6 May 2012 Tsukuba supercell tornado with a horizontal grid spacing of 10 m is conducted to investigate its fine-scale structure under realistic environmental conditions including surface friction. The simulated tornado repeatedly exhibits evolutions from one-cell to two-cell vortex, and subsequently to a multiple-vortex structure, where the vortex structure is sensitive to a swirl ratio. Subvortices in the multiple-vortex structure are located on the immediate inside of the radius of the maximum tangential wind speed, and cyclonically rotate around the tornado center with a slower speed less than half of the maximum tangential wind speed. The subvortices have a feature of a suction vortex accompanied by strong horizontal convergence and strong updraft near the surface. Although a superposition of the swirling winds associated with the subvortices and the parent tornado vortex causes locally intensified winds, the maximum horizontal and upward winds over the tornado's lifetime occur at the stage of shrinking of the vortex radius right before a transition to a multiple-vortex structure.(Citation: Mashiko, W., and H. Niino, 2017: Super highresolution simulation of the 6 May 2012 Tsukuba supercell tornado: Near-surface structure and its evolution. SOLA, 13, 135− 139,

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Section: Super High-resolution Simulation Of the 6 May 2012 Tsukuba Ssupporting

confidence: 79%

Section: Super High-resolution Simulation Of the 6 May 2012 Tsukuba Ssupporting

confidence: 79%

Super High-Resolution Simulation of the 6 May 2012 Tsukuba Supercell Tornado: Near-Surface Structure and Its Evolution

Mashiko¹,

Niino

2017

SOLA

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“…On 31 May 2013, a line of severe thunderstorms developed during the local afternoon in central Oklahoma in the United States. One of the supercells produced the El Reno tornado, a large Enhanced Fujita scale 3 [ Potter , ] multiple vortex tornado that caused significant damage and killed several people, including severe storm researchers Tim and Paul Samaras and Carl Young [ Wurman et al ., ]. After the supercellular stage, the storm system grew upscale into an enormous MCS that affected several states.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Large charge moment change lightning on 31 May to 1 June 2013, including the El Reno tornadic storm

et al. 2015

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On 31 May 2013, a line of severe tornadic thunderstorms (the El Reno event) developed during the local afternoon in central Oklahoma, USA. Within range of the Oklahoma Lightning Mapping Array, the evolution of the event can be separated into three distinct periods: an Early period (before 02:00 UTC on 1 June) when the storm consisted of discrete supercells, a Middle period (02:00-05:00 UTC) when the convection began merging into a linear feature and stratiform precipitation developed, and a Late period (after 05:00 UTC) featuring a mature mesoscale convective system (MCS). Each of these periods demonstrated distinct patterns in the large (>100 C km) charge moment change (CMC) lightning that was produced. During the Early period, large-CMC positive cloud-to-ground (+CG) lightning was produced in the convective cores of supercells. These flashes were small in area (typically <500 km 2 ) and were commonly associated with a sloping midlevel positive charge region in the echo overhang on the storm's forward flank. The Middle period featured a population of larger +CMCs (>500 km 2 , >300 C km) in the developing stratiform, similar to typical sprite-parent lightning in MCSs. During the Late period, convective large CMC +CGs ceased and instead large-CMC negative CGs were produced in and near the MCS convection. These flashes neutralized charge both in convection as well as in adjacent stratiform and anvil precipitation. The results suggest that the CMC metric has potential applications for studying tropospheric weather.

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“…Supplemental information related to this paper is available at the Journals Online website: https://doi.org/10.1175/MWR-D-19-0215.s1. structure of tornadoes such as suction vortices and improved definition of the low-level wind field (e.g., Wurman and Gill 2000;Bluestein et al 2004Bluestein et al , 2007aBluestein et al , 2015Bluestein et al , 2019Lee and Wurman 2005;Kosiba and Wurman 2010;Wakimoto et al 2011;Wurman and Kosiba 2013;Wurman et al 2013Wurman et al , 2014Kurdzo et al 2017). More recently, discrimination between hydrometeors and regions of lofted debris is possible with the addition of polarimetric measurements (e.g., Ryzhkov et al 2005;Bluestein et al 2007bBluestein et al , 2015Bluestein et al , 2019Kumjian and Ryzhkov 2008;Bodine et al 2013Bodine et al , 2014Snyder and Bluestein 2014;Kurdzo et al 2015;Tanamachi et al 2012;Wakimoto et al 2015Wakimoto et al , 2016Mahre et al 2018).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mobile Radar Observations of the Evolving Debris Field Compared with a Damage Survey of the Shawnee, Oklahoma, Tornado of 19 May 2013

Wakimoto

Wienhoff

Bluestein

et al. 2020

Monthly Weather Review

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A detailed damage survey is combined with high-resolution mobile, rapid-scanning X-band polarimetric radar data collected on the Shawnee, Oklahoma, tornado of 19 May 2013. The focus of this study is the radar data collected during a period when the tornado was producing damage rated EF3. Vertical profiles of mobile radar data, centered on the tornado, revealed that the radar reflectivity was approximately uniform with height and increased in magnitude as more debris was lofted. There was a large decrease in both the crosscorrelation coefficient (r hv ) and differential radar reflectivity (Z DR ) immediately after the tornado exited the damaged area rated EF3. Low r hv and Z DR occurred near the surface where debris loading was the greatest. The 10th percentile of r hv decreased markedly after large amounts of debris were lofted after the tornado leveled a number of structures. Subsequently, r hv quickly recovered to higher values. This recovery suggests that the largest debris had been centrifuged or fallen out whereas light debris remained or continued to be lofted. Range-height profiles of the dual-Doppler analyses that were azimuthally averaged around the tornado revealed a zone of maximum radial convergence at a smaller radius relative to the leading edge of lofted debris. Low-level inflow into the tornado encountering a positive bias in the tornado-relative radial velocities could explain the existence of the zone. The vertical structure of the convergence zone was shown for the first time.

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The Role of Multiple-Vortex Tornado Structure in Causing Storm Researcher Fatalities

Cited by 81 publications

References 29 publications

Super High-Resolution Simulation of the 6 May 2012 Tsukuba Supercell Tornado: Near-Surface Structure and Its Evolution

Super High-Resolution Simulation of the 6 May 2012 Tsukuba Supercell Tornado: Near-Surface Structure and Its Evolution

Large charge moment change lightning on 31 May to 1 June 2013, including the El Reno tornadic storm

Mobile Radar Observations of the Evolving Debris Field Compared with a Damage Survey of the Shawnee, Oklahoma, Tornado of 19 May 2013

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