Midwest Thunderstorm Study Points Toward Better Forecasts

[Eric Friedebach]

BOULDER, Colo., Sept. 27 (AScribe Newswire) -- A set of newly documented small-scale circulations embedded in thunderstorm squall lines not only spew destructive straight-line winds, but may spawn up to 20 percent of all U.S. tornadoes. And the remnant circulations from large thunderstorm clusters can survive for days, triggering new storm cells. Over warm oceans, similar remnant circulations provide seed for hurricane development. Scientists expect these and other findings to help improve forecasts of damaging winds and heavy rain.

The new results emerge from three-dimensional portraits of thunderstorms collected across the storm-tossed Midwest in a field study coordinated by the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in 2003. A summary will be presented on Oct. 5 in Hyannis, Mass., at the American Meteorological Society's 22nd Conference on Severe Local Storms.

http://tinyurl.com/6tjxm

 

[David Draun]

Yes, I remember at the Fermilab, Batavia storm seminar back in April, there was a representative from the BAMEX project. He talked a lot about the thunderstorm generating capabilities of mesoscale convective vorticies (MCV's) He mentioned a few events they studied including 5/30/03 N. IL supercells/tornadoes and 07/4-5/03 derechoes. The findings of the BAMEX project were quite interesting IMO. Here's more info...

http://www.crh.noaa.gov/lsx/science/bamex.htm