HP Cells and Tornado Capture

[STexan]

With all of the HP cells we've seen this season, I'd like see if there is a consensus on optimal position to capture a tornado ongoing in a HP cell. If one had to choose a approach position (relative to tornado), which likely has the best chance of yielding at least a momentary view with minimal rain curtain to deal with.

Are HP systems producing a tornado at least a little predictable in where the clear slot is (if there is one) or is it purely anyone's guess from one HP cell to the next?

I'm guessing it might be chasing it down from behind or below? (W or SW or S of the tornado??). I (and many others I suspect) will attest to the idea you will rarely see a tornado inside an HP cell if the system is coming towards you (being east or northeast of the system)

 

[Dan Robinson]

In most cases you need to look down the inflow notch of an HP to see the tornado. Think of the notch as a long hallway with the tornado at the end of it. This 'hallway' is usually extending to the east or northeast of a typical SW flow supercell, north of the bulging RFD gust front. So, you want to be north and east of the meso, close but not into to the forward flank precip, looking to the east/southeast, sometimes to the south. @Skip Talbot has a nice video showing the 'horseshoe' of the RFD precip and where you need to look to find the tornado.

 

[Mike Marz]

Yesterday this was my position at one point. I didn't have a great view from here with this particular storm, but I would prefer to be in this position for most HP storms. I think on HP's you gotta be real close and just north, northeast, or sometimes due west of the tornado. If you want to get real close, west of the tornado and in the area between the massive hail and the tornado seems ideal. I think Lucio was likely in that area yesterday. I think on some HP's there is just no seeing the tornado though.

 

[Sean Ramsey]

I played this terribly yesterday and paid for it. I allowed it to pass 283 before I could get north and got stuck on the south/southwest side of the storm and didn't see anything. Positioning on a fast moving HP so important...

 

[Jeff Duda]

With such a clean wrap on that particular storm, it looks like you would've wanted to have been north or west of it to have the best view. Yeah, you're risking major league hail in both positions, but they both offer relatively clear air between you and the tornado as well as a high contrast look. Of course being north of any HP tornado is extremely dangerous (see 31 May 2013 for example) because the tornado may veer left as it occludes.

From the east (where I was) the tornado was invisible among the rain, even though it wasn't extremely rain-wrapped.

 

[JamesCaruso]

In most cases you need to look down the inflow notch of an HP to see the tornado. Think of the notch as a long hallway with the tornado at the end of it. This 'hallway' is usually extending to the east or northeast of a typical SW flow supercell, north of the bulging RFD gust front. So, you want to be north and east of the meso, close but not into to the forward flank precip, looking to the east/southeast, sometimes to the south. @Skip Talbot has a nice video showing the 'horseshoe' of the RFD precip and where you need to look to find the tornado.

Dan, did you mean looking to the west/southwest if located north and east of the meso? I assume so but just want to make sure I am correctly interpreting.

I have never had much luck with HPs and quite frankly am not bold enough to attempt to thread the needle into the notch. It seems like visibility would really be dangerously limited on the way in, even if you could find a clear area deep in there.

I really can't fathom how one could position themselves to the west, it seems like there is very little "space" in there between the meso and the largest hail, and even if there was, how do you get in there? Seems like whether you come in from the north, south, east or west you would have to cross through areas of little or no visibility, and/or large hail and/or high RFD winds, and could just as easily drive into the tornado before driving into a clear area... It's one thing to picture the route on the radar image, quite another to actually execute with the available road options and orientation relative to the storm...