Tornado: In the Eye of the Storm

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Funnel cloud (2ed.). American Meteorological Society. 2000-06-30. Archived from the original on 2013-02-05 . Retrieved 2009-02-25. {{ cite book}}: |work= ignored ( help)

Beven, John L. (2005-10-27). "Tropical Storm Beta Discussion Number 3". Hurricane Beta Advisory Archive (Report). National Hurricane Center. Archived from the original on 2018-10-07 . Retrieved 2013-05-07. As the mesocyclone lowers below the cloud base, it begins to take in cool, moist air from the downdraft region of the storm. The convergence of warm air in the updraft and cool air causes a rotating wall cloud to form. The RFD also focuses the mesocyclone's base, causing it to draw air from a smaller and smaller area on the ground. As the updraft intensifies, it creates an area of low pressure at the surface. This pulls the focused mesocyclone down, in the form of a visible condensation funnel. As the funnel descends, the RFD also reaches the ground, fanning outward and creating a gust front that can cause severe damage a considerable distance from the tornado. Usually, the funnel cloud begins causing damage on the ground (becoming a tornado) within a few minutes of the RFD reaching the ground. [19] [55] Many other aspects of tornado formation (such as why some storms form tornadoes while others do not, or what precise role downdrafts, temperature, and moisture play in tornado formation) are still poorly understood. [56] Maturity A mature stovepipe tornado near Yuma, Colorado. While normally quite symmetric, eyes can be oblong and irregular, especially in weakening storms. A large ragged eye is a non-circular eye which appears fragmented, and is an indicator of a weak or weakening tropical cyclone. An open eye is an eye which can be circular, but the eyewall does not completely encircle the eye, also indicating a weakening, moisture-deprived cyclone or a weak but strengthening one. Both of these observations are used to estimate the intensity of tropical cyclones via Dvorak analysis. [5] Eyewalls are typically circular; however, distinctly polygonal shapes ranging from triangles to hexagons occasionally occur. [6] Hurricane Wilma with a pinhole eye

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The eye of a storm is a circular area where there are winds of up to 15 miles per hour, relatively weak compared with the stronger winds of the rest of the storm. It is completely or partially surrounded by the eyewall, which is a ring of cumulonimbus clouds, the National Hurricane Center said. An eye can be up to 120 miles in diameter, but most are 20 to 40 miles across, said Dennis Feltgen, a meteorologist for the center. Another striking feature reported by some eyewitnesses is the 'sound of a tornado'. On the outside, tornadoes are often described as generating a sound similar to a freight train or a roaring jet engine. However, inside the eye, the noise is muffled, replaced by an eerie quiet. Ben-Amots, N. (2016). "Dynamics and thermodynamics of tornado: Rotation effects". Atmospheric Research. 178–179: 320–328. Bibcode: 2016AtmRe.178..320B. doi: 10.1016/j.atmosres.2016.03.025. Leeman, John R.; Schmitter, E. D. (April 2009). "Electric signals generated by tornados". Atmos. Res. 92 (2): 277–79. Bibcode: 2009AtmRe..92..277L. doi: 10.1016/j.atmosres.2008.10.029. As the tornado enters the dissipating stage, its associated mesocyclone often weakens as well, as the rear flank downdraft cuts off the inflow powering it. Sometimes, in intense supercells, tornadoes can develop cyclically. As the first mesocyclone and associated tornado dissipate, the storm's inflow may be concentrated into a new area closer to the center of the storm and possibly feed a new mesocyclone. If a new mesocyclone develops, the cycle may start again, producing one or more new tornadoes. Occasionally, the old (occluded) mesocyclone and the new mesocyclone produce a tornado at the same time. [ citation needed]

a b c Montgomery, Michael T.; Vladimirov, Vladimir A.; Denissenko, Peter V. (2002). "An experimental study on hurricane mesovortices" (PDF). Journal of Fluid Mechanics. 471 (1): 1–32. Bibcode: 2002JFM...471....1M. doi: 10.1017/S0022112002001647. S2CID 6744823. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-01-25 . Retrieved 2013-05-06. Tornadoes". Prairie Storm Prediction Centre. Environment Canada. 2007-10-07. Archived from the original on 2001-03-09 . Retrieved 2009-12-13.Main article: Cyclone The North American blizzard of 2006, an extratropical storm, showed an eye-like structure at its peak intensity (here seen just to the east of the Delmarva Peninsula). There is mounting evidence, including Doppler on Wheels mobile radar images and eyewitness accounts, that most tornadoes have a clear, calm center with extremely low pressure, akin to the eye of tropical cyclones. Lightning is said to be the source of illumination for those who claim to have seen the interior of a tornado. [36] [37] [38] Rotation

Some evidence does suggest that the Southern Oscillation is weakly correlated with changes in tornado activity, which vary by season and region, as well as whether the ENSO phase is that of El Niño or La Niña. [99] Research has found that fewer tornadoes and hailstorms occur in winter and spring in the U.S. central and southern plains during El Niño, and more occur during La Niña, than in years when temperatures in the Pacific are relatively stable. Ocean conditions could be used to forecast extreme spring storm events several months in advance. [100] Wang, David W.; Mitchell, Douglas A.; Teague, William J.; Jarosz, Ewa; Hulbert, Mark S. (2005). "Extreme Waves Under Hurricane Ivan". Science. 309 (5736): 896. doi: 10.1126/science.1112509. PMID 16081728. NASA Sees into the Eye of a Monster Storm on Saturn". NASA. 2006-11-09. Archived from the original on May 7, 2008 . Retrieved November 10, 2006.a b c Landsea, Chris; Goldenberg, Stan (2012-06-01). "A: Basic definitions". In Dorst, Neal (ed.). Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ). 4.5. Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory. pp. A11: What is the 'eye'?. Archived from the original on 2006-06-15.