Wedge or Stovepipe?

[Mike Hollingshead]

http://www.omaha5675.org

I say there is a definite stovepipe in that. One could say it would be both but I think some will think that is not a stovepipe in there. Just wondering some thoughts on this one as I had never noticed it before. You might have to adjust your monitor to see the contrast right.

 

[Jeff Miller]

wedge

I definately see the "wedge" tornado, as the width is certainly greater than the height. I do not see a "stovepipe" imbedded in the dust/dirt/condensation circulation, but then again my monitor at work I cannot fiddle with the contrast.

For now, I will say definately wedge. I will check it at home later and see if I can see what you see.

 

[Jason Boggs]

Definitely a wedge. I cannot see the stovepipe in there either.

 

[Mike Hollingshead]

Man surely someone else can see it. People in chat can see it.

 

[Caleb Lawrence]

I concur with Mike that it is a stovepipe.

 

[Jeff Wear]

I can see it....reminds me of Moore OK 5/3/1999, Happy TX 5/5/2002, and one of the South Dakota tornadoes on 6/23/2002 as they transitioned from a dusty wedge into a stovepipe.

 

[Mike Hollingshead]

[Broken External Image]:http://www.extremeinstability.com/stormpics/omahator.gif

Contrast adjusted.

[Broken External Image]:http://www.extremeinstability.com/stormpics/04-7-12-24.jpg
July 12, 2004 stovepipe

[Broken External Image]:http://www.extremeinstability.com/stormpics/04-7-12-25.jpg

It very very quickly transistioned from that stovepipe to this wedge as if it hit a ton of loose dirt. I remember watching it and all the sudden it was big(while driving south). I just wonder if it had the stovepipe inside a shroud of dirt and perhaps an outer wall of condensation quickly forming or if the tornado actually just widened its condensation that much that quickly. The July 12 stovepipe before it wedged, regardless of how, looks a whole lot like what is in the middle of that Omaha 75 image.

 

[Bill Tabor]

I just know I want one. :lol:

I see the stovepipe you refer to inside, but I'd say the tornado is whatever the whole condensation / dirt cloud is doing all combined so technically I'd say a wedge even though you can make out a pipe shape inside. Also, typically tornadoes (as you probably know) transition from one to another sometimes quickly. My Seward F4 was a wide wedge shape and it blew off the exterior to make a nice stovepipe for a while.

 

[Gabe Garfield]

I would say "barrel"...somewhat bigger than a regular stovepipe, but not quite reaching wedge status either.

Gabe

 

[Jeff Lawson]

I can see it....reminds me of Moore OK 5/3/1999, Happy TX 5/5/2002, and one of the South Dakota tornadoes on 6/23/2002 as they transitioned from a dusty wedge into a stovepipe.

I'm reminded of Happy as well. For me, a bona fide wedge needs to be much wider than it is tall - almost to the point that, at a great enough distance, you wouldn't be able to tell if it's an actual tornado or wall cloud dragging the ground. A wedge should, literally, look like a "wedge". A large tornado, on the other hand, is a large tornado. And even a small tornado can look "large" if enough dirt is involved.

I can sort of make out a stovepipe in the photo Mike provided, although I've seen other photos of the tornado in which a stovepipe wasn't all that evident. I am a bit curious where all the dust and dirt is coming from, however. That part of Omaha should have been relatively well-developed in 1975.

 

[Bob Schafer]

A wedge should, literally, look like a "wedge".

A wedge is a triangle. There is a tool called a wedge that is made to scrape wood, and it is triangular. A doorstop is a wedge. I've always wondered why a "wedge' tornado is called a wedge tornado. What is (inherently) triangular about it?

Insults hurled below:

 

[Blake Michaleski]

.... because that's what we call cone tornados. :wink:


anyway, based off the first pic... well how about a narrow wedge? "Stovepipe" to me means that, a shape with the two sides being nearly parallel.

How about "nice tornado"? 8)

 

[Jason Boggs]

Not wanting to start a debate or get off topic here but...

http://www.spc.noaa.gov/faq/tornado/binger.htm

 

[Jay McCoy]

I can clearly see the stovepipe inside the debris cloud. I say stovepipe since the circulation itslef is a stovepipe shape. the debris is becoming wedge shaped but most debris, even from a cone gets swept outwards. The actual tornado itself is stovepipe. If the cloud base was a bit higher I dont think it would have the wedge appearance. it would be a clear stovepipe with a huge debris cloud under it but since the wall is dragginfg the ground it makes it look worse than it actually is.

 

[Glen Romine]

I noticed there were some additional pictures of the tornado from the horse racing track here:

http://www.ak-sar-ben.com/tornadomain.html

What this suggests to me is that the enhanced constrast in the eliptical crop image shown above may not have been physical, as the other two images show the condensation funnel as being consistently large (not necessarily shrowded in a debris cloud as suggested earlier), but there does appear to be something of a progression from more of a wedge shape:

http://www.ak-sar-ben.com/tornado1.html

http://www.ak-sar-ben.com/tornado2.html

http://www.ak-sar-ben.com/tornado3.html

to a large stovepipe shape as it becomes wrapped in rain:

http://www.ak-sar-ben.com/tornado4.html

Glen