SEVERE WEATHER & TORNADOES

In this section, we will learn…

• Tornadoes, hurricanes, blizzards, and thunderstorms
are severe weather phenomena that impact society
and ecosystems. Hazards include downbursts (wind
shear), strong winds, hail, lightning, heavy rain, and
flooding.

• The movement of air in the atmosphere is due to

differences in air density resulting from variations in
temperature. Many weather conditions can be
explained by fronts that occur when air masses meet.
 In this section, we will learn…
• 3A Describe the various conditions of formation associated with severe

weather (thunderstorms, tornadoes, hurricanes, floods, waves, and

drought).

• 3B Describe the damage resulting from and the social impact of

thunderstorms, tornadoes, hurricanes, and floods.

• 3C Describe severe weather and flood safety and mitigation.

• 3D Describe the seasonal variations in severe weather.

• 3E Describe conditions associated with frontal boundaries that result in

severe weather (thunderstorms, tornadoes, and hurricanes).

WEATHER PATTERNS
WEATHER PATTERNS
 Fronts
Fronts are boundary surfaces that separate air masses of different
densities. One air mass is usually warmer and often contains more
moisture than the other. However, fronts can form between any two
contrasting air masses. When the vast sizes of air masses are considered,
these 15- to 200-kilometer(9- to 120-mile-) wide bands of discontinuity
are relatively narrow. On the scale of a weather map, they are normally
thin enough to represent as a broad line.
 Fronts
Warm Fronts When the surface (ground) position of a front moves so
that warm air occupies territory formerly covered by cooler air, it is
called a warm front (Figure 9–4).
 Fronts
• Cold Fronts When cold, continental polar air actively advances into a
region occupied by warmer air, the zone of discontinuity is called a
cold front (Figure 9–6). As with warm fronts, friction slows the
surface position of a cold front compared to its position aloft. Thus,
the cold front steepens as it moves.
 Fronts
• Cold Fronts When cold, continental polar air actively advances into a
region occupied by warmer air, the zone of discontinuity is called a
cold front (Figure 9–6). As with warm fronts, friction slows the
surface position of a cold front compared to its position aloft. Thus,
the cold front steepens as it moves.
 Fronts
• Stationary Fronts Occasionally, the airflow on both sides of a front is

neither toward the cold air mass nor toward the warm air mass, but

almost parallel to the line of the front. Consequently, the surface

position of the front does not move, or moves very slowly. This

condition is called a stationary front.

 Fronts
• Occluded Fronts The fourth type of front is the occluded front. Here

a rapidly moving cold front overtakes a warm front, as shown in

Figure 9–8a. As the cold air wedges the warm front upward, a new

front forms between the advancing cold air and the air over which

the warm front is gliding (Figure 9–8b). The weather of an occluded

front is generally complex. Most precipitation is associated with the

warm air being forced aloft (Figure 9–8c). When conditions are

suitable, however, the newly formed front is capable of initiating

precipitation of its own.

Fronts
Fronts
Definition of a Severe Thunderstorm
• The National Weather Service defines a
severe thunderstorm as a thunderstorm that
produces
– Hail of 1 inch diameter or larger
And/or
– Wind gusts 58 mph or greater
– A tornado
• Note: this does not include lightning or heavy rain!
 When do thunderstorms occur?
• During the spring and summer, certain atmospheric
conditions can be set up which drive severe
convective storms:
• Conditionally unstable atmosphere
• Moisture
• Upward vertical motion (“Lifting”)
• Wind shear
 Moisture
• Since a conditionally unstable atmosphere is
only unstable with respect to an saturated air
parcel, some moisture source is required to
create severe weather

Cyclones can advect

warm, moist air from
the Gulf of Mexico into
the central plains

Other sources of
moisture include the
Pacific and Atlantic
oceans

http://www.srh.noaa.gov/jetstream//tstorms/images/moisture.jpg
 Warm, moist air is
being advected from
the Gulf into the Plains
 Vertical Lifting
• An unstable atmosphere will only generate
severe weather when it is given a “push”
• Unstable air parcels can be lifted by the
following mechanisms:
– Convection
– Convergence
– Frontal forcing
– Topography
 Wind Shear
• Wind shear is a term which describes how the
speed and direction of the wind change with
height
• It is critically important for the formation of severe
weather, because wind shear will keep upward
motion and downward motion in the storm
separated, allowing the storm to survive
 Directional Wind Shear
• Wind changes direction with height
• Wind is backing if the wind direction rotates
counterclockwise with height
• Wind is veering if the wind direction rotates
clockwise with height
• Generally, severe weather will only be found if the
wind is veering with height
Directional Shear
Speed shear often causes severe weather with
strong straight-line winds
 Life Cycle of a Thunderstorm
• Building block for any thunderstorm is a
thunderstorm cell

• Typical thunderstorm lasts approx. 30 minutes

• Three stages
– Developing stage

– Mature Cumulus stage

– Dissipating Stage
 Developing Stage
• Warm, humid air rises
and develops an updraft
• Air parcels saturate and
form a towering
cumulus cloud
• Little or no rainfall
• Lasts near 10 minutes
• No severe weather yet
 Mature Stage
• Precipitation begins to fall, creating
downward motion (downdraft)

• When downdraft hits the ground,

it spreads out and creates a “gust
front”

• Storm develops overshooting

(“anvil”) top

• Lasts an average of 10-20 minutes.

• Most likely time for severe

weather (large hail, gusty winds,
tornadoes)
• The change in the wind with height forces the downdraft to be
separate from the updraft, which allows the storm to live longer and
become severe
 Mature Thunderstorm

• http://www.geography.hunter.cuny.edu/~tbw/wc.notes/10.thunderstorms.tornadoes/thunde
rstorm.jpg
 Roll cloud in Dodge County
-not attached to parent thunderstorm cloud
-associated with thunderstorm gust front. Sign of possible
microburst activity
 Shelf Cloud
- Associated with a thunderstorm gust front
- Attached to parent thunderstorm cloud
- Rising cloud motion often can be seen in the leading (outer)
part of the shelf cloud, while the underside often appears
turbulent, boiling, and wind-torn.
 Dissipating Stage
• Downdraft dominates and shuts
off the updraft
• Gust front moves out ahead of
the storm and cuts off inflow of
warm, moist air
• Severe weather threat diminished
• Lightning still a threat
• Other storms may develop along
outflow boundary
Gust Front / Outflow Boundary on
Radar
 Types of Thunderstorms
• Ordinary Cell
• Multi-cell Cluster
• Multi-cell Line (aka Squall line)
• Supercell thunderstorm
 Tornadoes
• A tornado is defined as “a violently rotating column of

air descending from a thunderstorm and IN CONTACT

with the ground.” -NWS

• Can sometimes last for more than an hour and travel

several miles

• Most violent tornadoes are capable of tremendous

destruction with wind speeds of 250 mph or more

 What causes tornadoes?
• Tornadoes in the winter and early spring are
often associated with strong frontal systems
that form in the Central US and move east
• During the spring in the Central Plains,
thunderstorms develop along a dryline –
separates very warm, moist area to the east
from hot, dry air to the west.
• Tornadoes may form as thunderstorms fire
along the dryline during the afternoon hours
 How Do Tornadoes Form?
• Before thunderstorms develop, a change in wind shear
creates an invisible, horizontal spinning effect near the
surface.
 How Do Tornadoes Form?
• Rising air within the thunderstorm updraft
tilts the rotating air from horizontal to
vertical

http://www.nssl.noaa.gov/edu/safety/tornadoguide.html
 How Do Tornadoes Form?
• An area of rotation, 2-6 miles wide, now
extends through much of the storm.
• Most strong and violent tornadoes form
within this area of strong rotation

http://www.nssl.noaa.gov/edu/safety/tornadoguide.htm
 Tornado Facts
• Some tornadoes may form during the early
stages of rapidly developing thunderstorms.
– Most common along range of Rocky Mountains,
the Plains, and the western US

• Tornadoes may appear nearly transparent

until dust and debris are picked up
• Two or more tornadoes may occur at the
same time from the same storm.
 Tornado Facts
• The average tornado moves SW to NE but
tornadoes have been known to move in every
direction.
• The average forward speed of a tornado is 30 mph
• Tornadoes can accompany tropical storms and
hurricanes as they move over land
• Tornadoes are most likely to occur between 3 pm
and 9 pm
Compared to the forward flank downdraft (FFD) the rear flank downdraft (RFD)
consists of warm and dry air
Tornado on Radar
 Wedge Tornado

http://greek.wunderground.com/data/wximagenew/m/MikeTheiss/453.jpg
 Rope Tornado

http://www.outdoor.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/01/ropetornado.jpg
 Tornadoes in Wisconsin

Stoughton, 8/2005 Tornado - Storm Chaser Scott A. Kampas

 Watches & Warnings
• Tornado Watch
– Conditions are ideal
for a tornado to be
created.

• Tornado Warning
– An actual tornado has
been sighted in the
area or is indicated by
weather radar.
Tornado Frequency in the US
Tornado Frequency Around the World
Cool Tornado Pictures
 Cool Tornado Video
• http://www.weather.com/multimedia/vide
oplayer.html?clip=14517&from=tv_progra
m_vortex
 Tropical Cyclones
• A tropical cyclone is a low pressure system that develops
over tropical or subtropical waters (between 30º N and
30º S)

• Develop in areas without a horizontal temperature

gradient

• Does not have fronts

• Has a warm core center

• Has an organized circulation

Hurricane Katrina- 2005
 Tropical Cyclone Names

• Depending upon location, tropical cyclones have

different names around the world

• In the

– Atlantic/Eastern Pacific Oceans: hurricane

– Western Pacific: typhoon

– Indian Ocean: tropical cyclone

 Hurricane
Typhoon

Cyclone

• Do not typically form within 5° latitude of the equator due to the lack of
sufficient Coriolis Force
 Tropical Cyclone Names
• Since 1953, Atlantic tropical storms have
been named from lists made by the
National Hurricane Center (NHC)

• In 1979, men’s names were introduced and

they alternate with the women’s names

• Six lists are used in rotation

 Tropical Cyclone Names
• The only time that there is a change in the list is if a storm
is so deadly or costly that future use of its name would be
inappropriate
– Essentially the storm name is “retired”

– For example, Andrew 1992, Katrina 2005, Gustav and Ike 2008

• In the event that more than 21 tropical cyclones occur in

a season, additional storms will take names from the
Greek alphabet
– Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, etc
How Do Tropical Cyclones Develop?
• Several favorable environmental conditions must be in place
before a tropical cyclone can form:
– Some initial disturbance such as a thunderstorm complex, which
may slowly develop
– Warm ocean waters (at least 80°F)
– Potentially unstable atmosphere favorable to convection
– Moist air near the middle of the troposphere
– Low values of vertical wind shear between the surface and upper
troposphere

• If these conditions persist for several days, a tropical cyclone

may form
How Do Tropical Cyclones Strengthen?
• Tropical cyclones strengthen and maintain
themselves through latent heat release
• As water vapor rises, it cools and condenses
• Large quantities of latent heat release warm the air,
causing it to be less dense than its surroundings
• The ideal gas law tells us that the pressure should
then decrease
• The storm must be over warm ocean waters to
supply enough moisture
 Stages of Hurricane Development
• When these disturbances first appear, they are called tropical

depressions

– Not named yet

• Once the disturbance has developed with surface wind speeds

stronger than 39 mph, the storm is classified as a tropical storm

• After further strengthening and surface wind speeds greater

than 74 mph, the system is upgraded to a hurricane

• Atlantic Hurricane season is June 1 – November 30

Air converges in the center in a cyclonic pattern and diverges at the top. In the
center of the storm, called the “eye”, the storm is mostly cloud-free

http://www.srh.noaa.gov/jetstream//tropics/tc_structure.htm
 Tropical Cyclone Structure
• The main parts of a tropical cyclone are the eye, the
eyewall, and the rainbands
• The eye
– Strong rotation of the cyclone causes a vacuum of sinking
air at the center which suppresses cloud formation
– This creates a pocket of generally clear, calm conditions in
the center
– Typically 20-40 miles across
– Will usually develop when the winds exceed 74 mph but
cause of eye formation still not fully understood
 Tropical Cyclone Structure
• The eyewall

– Consists of a ring of thunderstorms that produce heavy

rains

– Usually produces the strongest winds of the storm

– Changes in the structure of the eyewall and eye can

cause changes in wind speed

– Double eyewalls can form if the eye changes size

 Tropical Cyclone Structure
• The rainbands
– Curved bands of clouds and thunderstorms that trail away
from the eyewall in a sprial fashion
– Capable of producing heavy bursts of rain and wind, as
well as tornadoes
– Sometimes gaps in the spiral bands where no rain or wind
is found
– if one were to travel between the outer edge of a hurricane
to its center, one would progress from light rain and wind,
to dry and weak breeze, then back to increasingly heavier
rainfall and stronger wind, over and over again
RAINBAND

EYEWALL

EYE

HURRICANE KATRINA
 What is storm surge?
• As the surface winds converge toward the center of the storm,
they “pile up” ocean water

• Also, the decreased surface pressure raises the sea level slightly

• Strong waves also can increase the water height

 What causes the most damage?
• A hurricane can cause damage by many different
aspects
– Very strong winds can damage structures

– Heavy rainfall can cause flooding

– Storm surge can inundate low-lying areas

– Occasionally, lightning strikes and/or tornadoes can

cause damage

• Storm surge generally causes the most damage

and deaths, particularly in strong hurricanes
Damage from Hurricane Ivan
 2005 Atlantic Hurricane Season
• Was the most active Atlantic hurricane season in
recorded history
• Forecasts fell far short of the actual activity
• Most tropical storms, hurricanes, and Category 5
hurricanes recorded in one season
• 27 named tropical storms, 17 became hurricanes
• 7 major hurricanes
• 4 Category 5 hurricanes – Emily, Katrina, Rita, Wilma
• Widespread economical effects
 Hurricane Katrina - 2005
• Katrina was the 6th strongest hurricane on record for the
Atlantic Ocean

• After entering the Gulf, rapidly intensified from Cat. 3 to

Cat. 5 in 9 hours on August 28

• Lowest pressure as Cat. 5 storm was 902 mb with max

sustained winds of 175 mph

• Weakened slightly before landfall to a Category 3

• Hurricane force winds extended 120 miles from the center

Katrina’s Path

Made landfall August

29, 2005 as Cat. 3
 Katrina eye
viewed from
NOAA
Hurricane
Hunters
August 28,
2005
 Katrina’s Impact
• Largest natural disaster in the history of the U.S.
• Attributed to over 1830 deaths and 700 missing
people, mostly in Louisiana and Mississippi
• Damages well in excess of $100 billion
• Federal disaster declarations covered 90,000 sq
miles (size of United Kingdom)
• 8-16 inches of rain
• Breaching of levees caused 80% of New Orleans to
be flooded
Time Lapse of Hurricane Katrina
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_SLXY
RJnYm0&feature=related
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFQy
X73eeOA&NR=1