8/26/07 DISC: ND

[Kiel Ortega]

This bugs me a lot. How big of a town, or what proximity to Norman does a tornado need to hit to warrant a QRT?

Reference point 3: http://www.flame.org/~cdoswell/EFscale_rant.html

-John

Just b/c QRT members didn't survey doesn't mean none fed into the rating. We're in a digital age...pictures can be just as good as being on the ground (reference other conversations on ST). Further, it's important to remember that QRT members have day jobs...and if they can't go, they can't go---or it they don't want to go, they don't have to go. Even more importantly, if something "exists" (i.e., is somewhere on paper) in the government it doesn't mean it exists (i.e., has steady funding and a dedicated staff)---which, from my understanding, is the status of the QRT.

 

[Greg Stumpf]

How big of a town, or what proximity to Norman does a tornado need to hit to warrant a QRT?

What does proximity to Norman have anything to do with the QRT?

 

[Bill Doms]

Does anyone have smoothed images from ~0z-1z?

http://mnwxchaser.com/070826/070826mvx.png
http://mnwxchaser.com/070826/070826mvx2.png
http://mnwxchaser.com/070826/070826mvx2br.png
http://mnwxchaser.com/070826/070826mvx2br2.png
http://mnwxchaser.com/070826/070826mvx2bv2.png

 

[rdale]

Oh dear -- RUN AWAY FROM SMOOTHED VELOCITY ;>

And Aaron your link to radar says "permission denied"

 

[Aaron Kennedy]

Strange... they must of stopped allowing dir listings.

http://people.aero.und.edu/~kennedya/2007/CHASE-082607/radar/0123Z.png
http://people.aero.und.edu/~kennedya/2007/CHASE-082607/radar/0127Z.png
http://people.aero.und.edu/~kennedya/2007/CHASE-082607/radar/0132Z.png
http://people.aero.und.edu/~kennedya/2007/CHASE-082607/radar/0136Z.png
http://people.aero.und.edu/~kennedya/2007/CHASE-082607/radar/0140Z.png
http://people.aero.und.edu/~kennedya/2007/CHASE-082607/radar/0144Z.png
http://people.aero.und.edu/~kennedya/2007/CHASE-082607/radar/0149Z.png

 

[Aaron Kennedy]

FGF has posted tornado track maps:
http://www.crh.noaa.gov/fgf/?n=northwood_tor_track

A video a friend shot as we were approaching Northwood (debating road option):
http://youtube.com/watch?v=i8ts-B-ZL44 Lots of electrical activity!

 

[John Wetter]

Does anyone have smoothed images from ~0z-1z?

Were you more looking for refletivity, or was it the smoothed velocity you wanted? I agree with Rob reL smoothed velocity!

-John

 

[John Wetter]

What does proximity to Norman have anything to do with the QRT?

In that I'm afraid the decision to send a QRT was more financially motivated than anything (unfortunately) and that the nearest QRT member is probably in Omaha IIRC, though most are in the Norman/Boulder wx communities.

-John

 

[Chad Cowan]

Here is what I was referring to, pretty amazing, huh? These are from 0054z 0058z and 0102z... there is what appears to be a BWER in the last grab.

 

[Mike Umscheid]

Here is what I was referring to, pretty amazing, huh? These are from 0054z 0058z and 0102z... there is what appears to be a BWER in the last grab.

A true BWER signature on radar when it comes to supercell structure is a mid level feature. These images look like 0.5 degree reflectivity slices not all that far from the radar site, probably hitting the storm at a couple thousand feet above radar level. BWER signatures are usually 18 to 30 thousand feet above radar level, depending on how tall the storm is. It looks to me like in the last image, there may be a new small cell forming in the immediate inflow region of the supercell w/ hook... although I haven't looked at anything other than those three images you posted..

 

[Greg Stumpf]

In that I'm afraid the decision to send a QRT was more financially motivated than anything (unfortunately) and that the nearest QRT member is probably in Omaha IIRC, though most are in the Norman/Boulder wx communities.

There are QRT members spread througout the country. IIRC, there are only 4 members in Norman, and none in Boulder (out of 20).

I'm fairly certain that funding was not the primary motivation for not sending a national QRT member, since CRH doesn't pay for the travel.

 

[John Wetter]

Does anyone know of an alternate site for the video mentioned in this picture?
http://www.crh.noaa.gov/images/fgf/news/070826TORs/Aneta/Nelson_TorTrack.jpg

Doesn't look like FGF has had a chance to post it yet.

-John

 

[Aaron Kennedy]

John: Wish I did. I've scoured some local news sites without much luck. A friend said he saw a clip on the Fargo NBC affiliate.

 

[Matthew K. Hartman]

Has there been much discussion on the radar representation between the 0149z and 0154z images? I'm curious if the higher reflectivity very near the velocity couplet is actual precipitation or a "debris ball" showing up... The reflectivity max clearly shows up just as the couplet passes over Northwood and on the subsequent scan, four minutes later... By 0157z, it's virtually gone.

You can see it on the imagery I saved, as well:

http://www.mhartman-wx.com/archives/2007.0826/radar/KMVX_0149.png
http://www.mhartman-wx.com/archives/2007.0826/radar/KMVX_0153.png
http://www.mhartman-wx.com/archives/2007.0826/radar/KMVX_0157.png

Do you remember how tightly wrapped the precip was around the tornado, Aaron?

Other imagery and text can be found in my archives, BTW:
http://www.mhartman-wx.com/mwx_archives.html

 

[Terry Tyler]

did they issue a tornado emergency when the tornado come into northwood?