Confused:Southern hemisphere hook echo

[MJ Poore]

I've attached a radar grab of a storm in the southern hemisphere that's producing an EF3 tornado. I've put an arrow on the hook echo, or tornado radar return. The damage path is consistent with this radar picture.
I've always seen tornadoes appearing in this position on the storms down here.
But somebody else has said this is the wrong position for a TN in S hemis given the storms rotate clockwise. They say the echo should be that weak hook feature behind the storm. But this doesnt look right to me, and the damage doesnt add up to this position. What's going on? Anybody...

 

[Skip Talbot]

It could be either, neither, or both. Both areas might have a mesocyclone associated with them. Do you have access to velocity scans? That's where you need to be looking to find areas of rotation. This cell looks more like an amorphous blob than a classic supercell, so it would be quite hard to pick out areas of rotation on the reflectivity scan alone.

 

[MatthewCarman]

I am wondering where is this storm taking place? Johannesburg?

 

[MJ Poore]

The radar isnt doppler, so there's no velocity scan.
The storm is on the east coast, about 100km inland from Durban.

 

[Matt Gingery]

It could be either, neither, or both. Both areas might have a mesocyclone associated with them. Do you have access to velocity scans? That's where you need to be looking to find areas of rotation. This cell looks more like an amorphous blob than a classic supercell, so it would be quite hard to pick out areas of rotation on the reflectivity scan alone.

I agree with Skip on this one. Looking at this return it appears this is a storm that is taking HP characteristics. I agree with you that if the damage path lines up with the radar return that you have pointed out, it is entirely possible that there is more than one mesocyclone with this cell. Given that it has enough energy to produce a EF-3 strength tornado, it is very well possible that it could have a satellite tornado, or another area of rotation that you have highlited may be the new mesocyclone and the area at the back side may have been the initial area of rotation and occluded and/or roped out.

 

[Paul Knightley]

HP supercell/hybrid was the first thing which came to my mind too - the position near the front of the storm would support the HP theory.

 

[MJ Poore]

I'm used to seeing the meso on the NE corner of the storm down here. Some say it should be NW. HP's here should have the meso near the front? Sounds about right.

 

[Paul Knightley]

Most HP supercells have mesocyclones near the front of the storm, certainly when compared with classic/LP storms.