Skip to main content
Article
Near-Ground Pressure and Wind Measurements in Tornadoes
Monthly Weather Review
  • Christopher D. Karstens, Iowa State University
  • Timothy M. Samaras, National Technical Systems
  • Bruce D. Lee, Wind Logics Inc.
  • William A. Gallus, Jr., Iowa State University
  • Catherine A. Finley, Wind Logics Inc.
Document Type
Article
Disciplines
Publication Version
Published Version
Publication Date
1-1-2010
DOI
10.1175/2010MWR3201.1
Abstract

Since the spring of 2002, tornadoes were sampled on nine occasions using Hardened In-Situ Tornado Pressure Recorder probes, video probes, and mobile mesonet instrumentation. This study describes pressure and, in some cases, velocity data obtained from these intercepts. In seven of these events, the intercepted tornadoes were within the radar-indicated or visually identified location of the supercell low-level mesocyclone. In the remaining two cases, the intercepted tornadoes occurred outside of this region and were located along either the rear-flank downdraft gust front or an internal rear-flank downdraft surge boundary. The pressure traces, sometimes augmented with videography, suggest that vortex structures ranged from single-cell to two-cell, quite similar to the swirl-ratio-dependent continuum of vortex structures shown in laboratory and numerical simulations. Although near-ground tornado observations are quite rare, the number of contemporary tornado measurements now available permits a comparative range of observed pressure deficits for a wide variety of tornado sizes and intensities to be presented.

Comments

This article is from Monthly Weather Review 138 (2010): 2570, doi: 10.1175/2010MWR3201.1. Posted with permission.

Copyright Owner
American Meteorological Society
Language
en
File Format
application/pdf
Citation Information
Christopher D. Karstens, Timothy M. Samaras, Bruce D. Lee, William A. Gallus, et al.. "Near-Ground Pressure and Wind Measurements in Tornadoes" Monthly Weather Review Vol. 138 Iss. 7 (2010) p. 2570 - 2588
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/william_gallus/39/