Left Mover vs Right Mover?

[Brandon Molyneaux]

I know this is tough to explain, but can anyone give a rundown or an explanation (or maybe a link to a site that explains it) of what a left mover and a right mover is, and how to identify it on a radar?

 

[Austin Jones]

A traditional super cell often moves to the right of the mean flow, while an anti cyclonic cell would tend to the left of the mean flow. Cells often split into a left split and right split, with the left split moving left and the right split moving right. To visualize this I think of a horizontal tube of rotating air being bent upwards in the middle by an updraft, in the shape of an upside down U. On either side of the U, there would now be oppositely rotating vertical columns of air. Depending on the surrounding environment one split may be favored over the other. If hodographs curve to the right then the right split is favored, if hodographs curve left then the left split is favored. As for identifying them on radar just i would simply look at the direction the storms are moving in relation to the mean flow.

 

[Mike Marz]

Here are a few links.

http://www.erh.noaa.gov/ssd/erps/88d/88dn8.pdf