Articles tagged with Tornadoes
New research finds that unusual ocean temperatures in the tropical Pacific and Atlantic can increase April tornado occurrences over the Great Plains. Climate researchers discovered a link between ocean temperatures and atmospheric conditions that enhance thunderstorms and tornado-favorable environments.
A new University of Illinois study found that large blowdown areas in southern Illinois forests are more heavily invaded and slower to recover than smaller areas. Invasive species cover decreased over time, but the most common invaders were already present in the system, suggesting a need for targeted management focus.
Research on Twitter use during natural disasters highlights the importance of targeting average users with meaningful networks to spread life-saving information. Average Twitter users with small local networks increase their activity more than those with larger networks in disaster situations.
Researchers at Ohio University have found that tornadoes form from the ground up, contrary to long-held theories. This discovery has significant implications for tornado forecasting and warning systems.
The VISIONS-2 mission aims to map oxygen outflow from aurora using a unique imaging technique, providing detailed insights into the process. Scientists suspect that oxygen is being energized by auroras, but the exact mechanisms are still unclear, with the day and night sides displaying distinct differences.
Colorado State University scientists use the Madden-Julian Oscillation to forecast severe weather across the Plains and southeastern US. They achieved skillful predictions of severe weather activity about 60% to 70% of the time, including hail and tornadoes.
A new study finds that US tornado frequency has increased in the Midwest and Southeast over the past four decades, closing the gap with traditional Tornado Alley. The trend is significant for understanding future tornado exposure and damage.
The TORUS project aims to collect high-resolution data from within severe storms to improve forecasting for tornadoes and severe storms. The research goal is to improve the conceptual model of supercell thunderstorms by exposing hidden structures that lead to tornado formation.
Researchers have developed a new technique using 'quantum chaos' to prevent optical filaments from forming in semiconductor lasers, leading to instabilities. The new system uses a D-shaped cavity to create a quantum chaotic landscape, disrupting the formation of self-organized structures and maintaining laser stability.
Researchers found significant correlations between tornado activity and Arctic sea ice extent, particularly in July. The study suggests that Arctic sea ice loss controls the jet stream's path, leading to reduced tornado formation.
Using tree-fall patterns, researchers estimated the near-surface wind speeds of an actual tornado event in Naplate, IL, with results compared to wind speeds from residential houses and damaged infrastructure. The method also applied to crops damaged by tornadoes, providing a new approach to estimating tornado intensity.
Researchers have discovered that tornado-producing storms emit infrasound waves that can be detected hundreds of miles away. By analyzing these waves, meteorologists may gain valuable insights into the formation processes and life cycle of tornadoes, enabling early warning systems and potentially saving lives.
The GPM core satellite analyzed severe weather in the US, predicting a surge of spring tornadoes after a drought. Moisture-laden air from the Gulf of Mexico interacted with dry air, resulting in thunderstorms that spawned rotation and tornadoes.
A line of strong storms, including an EF-2 tornado that killed one person and a tornado near Lynchburg, Virginia, were captured by NASA's GPM. The storm system was spawned by a deep trough of low pressure west of the Appalachians.
A new study published in Risk Analysis: An International Journal reveals that individuals' past tornado experiences significantly impact their perception of future tornado risks. The research found that memorable past experiences shape people's fear, dread, worry, and depression, while multiple experiences influence their belief that t...
A European team of scientists re-examines giant solar structures, finding they don't rotate like traditional tornadoes. By analyzing data from several years' worth of observations using the Doppler effect, researchers determine magnetic field direction and plasma movement.
The University of Cincinnati's new interactive map, ClimateEx, analyzes five decades of global weather data to demonstrate climate change and its diversity. Researchers can compare the climates of different places and predict areas prone to extreme weather phenomena.
A new study from Northern Illinois University predicts hailstorm likelihood with high accuracy, identifying a strong relationship between jet stream patterns and U.S. hail frequency.
Researchers at the University of Missouri found that survivors of the 2011 Joplin tornado experienced a range of mental health issues, including post-traumatic stress. However, they also discovered that these individuals had the potential to experience positive changes or growth in addition to stress.
Researchers at Western University have developed a method to forecast tornadoes with 90% accuracy within a 100-kilometre radius by adding high-altitude turbulence data. This breakthrough could buy up to 20 minutes of additional warning time.
Researchers used NASA's Magnetospheric Multiscale mission data and computer simulations to investigate the small-scale physics of plasma tornadoes at Earth's magnetosphere borders. They found that these tornadoes are extremely efficient at transporting charged particles into the magnetosphere.
A severe weather event on Nov. 5 was analyzed by NASA's Global Precipitation Measurement mission, revealing the location of strongest storms and predicting heavy rain. At least nine tornadoes were reported in Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio, causing widespread power outages and injuries.
Penn State researchers create a low-cost delivery system for probes to collect thermodynamic data in storms, with successful launches into supercell storms. The new system aims to link temperature data with radar wind data to predict tornado formation and improve forecasts.
A University of Michigan study found that hospital admissions for older adults rose an average of 4 percent in the 30 days after a tornado outbreak in 2011. This increase was significant even when excluding the initial three days following the disaster.
Tornadoes spawned severe weather in Florida, Georgia, and the Southeastern US on May 24, 2017, with intense rain showers reaching rates of over 8.5 inches per hour. The GPM satellite's data revealed powerful storms dropping heavy rain over the Gulf of Mexico and reaching heights above 9 miles.
A study by Florida State University researchers found that doubling the population under a tornado's path leads to only a 21% increase in casualties, while a doubling of energy dispersed by the tornado leads to a 33% increase. Stronger storms tend to pass through areas with lower population density, and climate change could impact futu...
A new study by Michigan State University researchers found that climate change will increase the annual impact of tornadoes on mobile homes, with a predicted threefold rise over the next few decades. The study highlights the vulnerability of mobile home residents to tornado-related fatalities and recommends policy changes to reduce risk.
Researchers developed a polarimetric radar time-series simulator to study tornadic debris, improving tornado warning accuracy and damage estimation. The simulator explains the relationship between debris characteristics and tornado dynamics.
The new radar simulator helps explain how debris scatters and falls through the atmosphere, improving tornado detection and damage estimates. Characterizing debris fields is vital due to flying debris causing most tornado fatalities.
Record-breaking warm temperatures triggered early blooms in eastern US, leading to severe thunderstorms and deadly tornadoes. The GPM satellite provided critical insights into the intense downpours and storm top heights of over 32,800 feet.
Researchers found a significant increase in large-scale tornado outbreaks in the US, with the number of extreme events doubling over the last half-century. The study suggests that vertical wind shear is driving this trend, rather than climate change.
Researchers have observed powerful whirlwinds shooting out of the rotating disc of a newly formed star. The wind is thought to slow down the rotation, allowing the material to contract and form planets.
A new study found that US tornado clusters are becoming more frequent and intense over the past 50 years, with an estimated doubling of extreme outbreaks from 1965 to 2015. The data suggests that climate change is not a primary driver of this trend, and other factors such as low-frequency climate variability may be at play.
A recent study has found that the frequency of US tornado outbreaks is increasing, but the trend does not resemble those expected under global warming. Instead, researchers attribute the rise to trends in storm relative helicity, a factor not previously linked to climate change.
The GPM core satellite gathered data on severe storms that impacted the southeastern US, resulting in at least seven fatalities and significant damage. The storms, which included tornadoes, hail, and heavy downpours, affected several states, including Louisiana, Alabama, and Tennessee.
A study found that children with higher anxiety levels before a tornado showed greater resilience in their behavioral adjustment after the disaster. Children who were already involved in programs to prevent aggressive behavior may benefit from these programs even after a disaster.
The Observation, Prediction and Analysis of Severe Convection of China (OPACC) project aims to improve the prediction skills of convective storms. Researchers have published 224 papers on convective weather in peer-reviewed journals since 2013.
Researchers found that wind patterns in the lowest 500 meters of supercell thunderstorms can help predict whether a storm will generate a tornado. This discovery may lead to better predictions and fewer false alarms during tornado season.
Amy McGovern uses high-resolution simulations, data mining, and visualization techniques to identify precursors of tornadoes and improve warning lead times. Her goal is to reduce false alarms and increase prediction accuracy.
Researchers at University of Maryland discover 'blue whirl' fire tornado that burns nearly soot-free, offering a cleaner and more efficient combustion method. This discovery could lead to better oil spill cleanup techniques with reduced harmful emissions.
Severe spring thunderstorms spawned over 67 tornadoes across the US, with intense rainfall totals reported in states including Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Nebraska. Heavy flooding caused six fatalities in Palestine, Texas, while six inches of rain were recorded in southern Mississippi.
Researchers found that the average number of tornadoes per outbreak increased by 50% from 1954 to 2014, while the total number of tornadoes remained largely unchanged. This suggests that tornadoes are increasingly clustered in outbreaks, making extreme events more likely.
A new study found that extreme tornado outbreaks have increased in frequency since 1954, with the average number of tornadoes per outbreak rising from 10 to 15. The variance around this mean has also risen four times faster, a phenomenon known as Taylor's power law of scaling.
The NASA GPM satellite examined violent thunderstorms in the southern US on February 2-3, with one powerful storm in North Carolina dropping rain at an extreme rate of 112.96 mm (4.4 inches) per hour. The satellite's radar instruments measured precipitation within the area and created a 3D cross-section through the storms.
Physicists at PPPL found a clue to forming large-scale magnetic fields by analyzing small magnetic disturbances that combine under certain conditions. Small velocity shear creates the necessary environment for these disturbances to form one large disturbance, which can persist over billions of years.
Researchers at University of Toronto develop model predicting tornado activity relative to changes in atmospheric conditions. The model takes into account instability and vertical windshear, shedding light on why actual tornado activity is vastly underestimated.
Severe thunderstorms swept through central Texas on April 26, 2015, generating heavy rainfall and large hail. The GPM Core Observatory satellite captured a 3D view of the storms, revealing some reaching altitudes above 7.7 miles.
A new study reveals that El Niño and La Niña conditions can predict the frequency of tornadoes and hail storms in susceptible regions of the United States. Moderate La Niña events lead to more tornadoes and hail storms, while El Niño suppresses both types of storms.
Researchers use a cylindrical rotating system to study turbulent convection, disproving the idea that transitions from one state of turbulence to another are smooth. Their findings suggest that symmetry changes must be sharp, contradicting Lev Landau's theory.
Researchers found that smoke from spring fires in Central America intensified conditions leading to severe tornadoes in the US. The study's results suggest a novel mechanism by which smoke affects tornado severity, and highlight the importance of considering atmospheric particles in weather prediction models.
NASA's RapidScat instrument captured high winds in the Gulf of Mexico while Mississippi experienced tornadoes late on Dec. 23. An animation of NOAA's GOES-East satellite data showed the movement of severe weather systems from Canada to South America.
Researchers tracked golden-winged warblers' migration and found they fled breeding grounds one to two days before powerful supercell storms. The birds sensed infrasound, a low-frequency sound wave that can travel thousands of kilometers, allowing them to alter their route and avoid severe weather.
Researchers observed golden-winged warblers leaving their breeding grounds before a historic tornado-producing storm, traveling 1,500 kilometers to avoid it. The birds likely sensed infrasound associated with the severe weather, a phenomenon known as tornadic storm avoidance behavior.
Researchers at the University of Sheffield have made a breakthrough in creating magnetic materials that can perform calculations, paving the way for more power-efficient computers. By harnessing the properties of magnetic vortex domain walls, they hope to develop smaller and faster logic gates.
A new study reveals peak tornado activity in the central and southern Great Plains of the US is starting and ending earlier than it did half a century ago. The shift in tornado activity could help states in 'Tornado Alley' better prepare for these violent storms, with some states experiencing an average shift of 14 days compared to 1954.
A Florida State University study reveals that while the number of tornado days per year has decreased, their density and strength have increased. This means that even though tornadoes are not occurring as frequently, they are having a more significant impact when they do occur.
Researchers propose building three east-west great walls to eliminate the major tornado threat in Tornado Alley. The walls, inspired by Jiang-Huai Hills in China, can be built locally at high-risk areas and gradually extended to cover the entire region.
A team of OU students created Storm Evader, an iPad app teaching elementary and middle school students about weather patterns by navigating a plane during severe weather events. The app encourages problem-solving and research-based decision-making, appealing to both kids and adults.
Fires in San Diego County have burned over 10,000 acres, destroying dozens of homes and forcing tens of thousands to evacuate. Firefighters are battling the flames with assistance from military aircraft and tankers, but high temperatures and winds are making it a challenging effort.
A study by Purdue University professor Jeff Trapp found that tornado outbreaks lasting three or more days are more likely to occur, with a 74% probability of an outbreak during such periods. The Enhanced Fujita scale indicates stronger tornadoes were also more likely to hit during these extended periods.