DOCSLIB.ORG

In the Eye of the Storm: Perspective from an Engineer, Meteorologist and Storm Chaser

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
In the Eye of the Storm: Perspective from an Engineer, Meteorologist and Storm Chaser 2/16/2017 In the Eye of the Storm: Perspective From an Engineer, Meteorologist and Storm Chaser by Tim Marshall P.E. Meteorologist Presented at 2017 Tornado Summit Oklahoma City, OK February 14, 2017 1957 Began to position chase April 21, 1967 vehicles Oak Lawn, IL Tornado 1967 -Oak Lawn, IL news 1 2/16/2017 Oak Lawn Tornado Damage Destroyed mobile home park April 21, 1967 April 21, 1967 barograph trace Oak Lawn Tornado Track from Albright Middle School Rated F4 Traveled 16.2 miles @ 60 mph 33 deaths >1000 homes damaged Marvin Zeaman Drops in pressure with Belvidere http://www.weather.gov/media/lot/events/1967_Apr _Tornadoes/OakLawn_Tornado_survey.pdf and Oak Lawn tornadoes. 1969 - Won top award for tornado exhibit at science fair. 1970 – Lubbock, TX Tornado Tornado 2 2/16/2017 1970- Dr. Fujita surveyed the 1970 – Lubbock, TX Tornado tornado damage http://www.lubbocktornado1970.com/pdf /LubbockTornadoes_TetsuyaFujita.pdf Institute for Disaster 1971- Fujita Scale Research was formed at TTU https://swco-ir.tdl.org/swco- ir/handle/10605/261888 Kiesling, Peterson, Mehta, Minor, McDonald DR. TED FUJITA and the 1974- F5 Xenia, OH Tornado SuperOutbreak April 3-4, 1974 I attended his lecture at the 319 fatalities, 5,484 injuries Univ. of Chicago 11-12-74 3 2/16/2017 1974- F5 Xenia, OH Tornado 1974 – N.I.U. Meteorology Prof. Jack R. Villmow Worst damage occurred on Marshall Street ! 1976 – First Tornado Damage Survey 1976 – Lemont, IL Tornado I walked the damage path 1978 – TTU Graduate School 1978 – TTU Graduate School Saw a tornado first day in TX Edmonson, TX – May 27, 1978 4 2/16/2017 April 10, 1979 - Dr. Peterson and I April 10, 1979 – Wichita Falls Tornado prepare to chase storms Mobile home park adjacent to Hwy 287 June 3, 1980 June 3, 1980 Grand Island, NE Tornadoes Grand Island, NE Tornadoes Did aerial and ground surveys 5 2/16/2017 June 3, 1980 June 3, 1980 Grand Island, NE Tornadoes Grand Island, NE Tornadoes http://www.depts.ttu.edu/nwi/Pubs/Rep ortsJournals/ReportsJournals/D6-3-80- Tor-GrandIsland.pdf June 3, 1980 June 3, 1980 Grand Island, NE survey Grand Island, NE Tornadoes House failure modes Paths of roof planks Aug. 1980 – TTU August 10, 1980- Hurricane Allen My first hurricane chase CE student Day before hurricane Day of hurricane 6 2/16/2017 I witnessed the power of 1980- I witnessed the hurricane-force winds power of storm surge April 12, 1981 Warren, OK http://www.depts.ttu.edu/nwi/Pubs/ReportsJournals/ ReportsJournals/D8-10-80-Hurr-Allen.pdf May 22, 1981 – Binger, OK https://stormtrack.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/the- mesocyclone-evolution-of-the-warren-oklahoma-tornadoes.pdf 7 2/16/2017 May 22, 1981 – Binger, OK May 22, 1981 – Binger, OK http://www.depts.ttu.edu/nwi/Pubs/ReportsJournals/ ReportsJournals/D5-22-81Tor-Binger.pdf 1982 – Storm Chase Manual Classic Supercell Listed procedures on how to chase storms and film them at close range. NRC contract to study debris generated by tornadoes https://stormtrack.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/storm-chase-manual-1998-edition.pdf May 9, 1982 Dawn, TX May 16, 1982 Silverton, TX 8 2/16/2017 May 19, 1982 Pampa, TX #2 May 19, 1982 Pampa, TX #4 May 19, 1982 Pampa, TX #6 May 19, 1982 Tornado Tracks https://stormtrack.org/wordpress/wp- content/uploads/storm-scale-of-the-pampa-storm.pdf 1983 – Haag Engineering Co. Ice Ball Launcher 9 2/16/2017 HAIL Making Ice Balls SIZE DAMAGE THRESHOLD (IN) 1 Lightweight comp shingles 1-1/4 Heavy weight comp, wood shingles 1-1/2 Medium wood shakes 1-3/4 Concrete tiles, modified bitumen 2 Smooth built-up roofing, EPDM Ballasted built-up roofing, EPDM, metal 2-1/2 panels https://ams.confex.com/ams/pdfpapers/45858.pdf FM 4473 – Ice impact test Wood and Comp Pictorials http://haageducation.com/books-tools/ 1986 - First “portable” computer 1986 STORMTRACK MAGAZINE Lasted 25 years Now online at: http://www. stormtrack.org Getting SAO’s with my PCjr – 64K no hard drive, 8 pin dot matrix printer and 300 baud modem. 10 2/16/2017 May 1, 1988 - Carson Eads Chase Van 1996- “TWISTER” movie with star Bill Paxton At OKC premiere with Don Burgess and Jim Bellville with Oprah Winfrey Involved in the development 1978-2016 chase statistics of the new EF-scale Upgrades the ~ 800 chase days (2.1 years) original Fujita ~ 400 days of severe storms (50%) Scale using 28 damage ~ 300 tornadoes indicators. ~ 100 tornado days Adopted by the ~ 500,000 miles (625 mi/chase) NWS in 2007. ~ 10,000 hours chasing (416 day hours) http://www.depts.ttu.edu/nwi/Pubs/FScale/EFScale.pdf Does not include hurricane chases or air miles. 1978-2016 Tornado Days and Surveys My Tornado Library Over 30,000 slide images of tornadoes, chasing, and damage. Thousands of hours of video and tape recordings of chases in formats from Super8, VHS, SVHS, HiHiHi-Hi---8,8, MiniDV, and SD. Birmingham UK Tornado Thousands of papers, books, and Survey newspaper articles on tornadoes. 11 2/16/2017 Chase logs and hand drawn maps are Books, videos and files kept in notebooks – oh my! Tornado Room “Ring of Honor” Slides are labeled and sleeved Tornadic Winds: In-situ and Radar measurements at Low levels (TWIRL) 5 pods in THE 2016 SCOUT 3 TWIRL PROJECT http://www.cswr.org Team: Brandon Molyneaux, Jacob DeFlitch, and Katie Griffith 12 2/16/2017 The instrumented pod cost 6K each 2016 TWIRL PROJECT 3 DOWS Dr. Josh Wurman Dr. Karen Kosiba 3 SCOUTS Dr. Josh Wurman inside DOW-7 2016 TWIRL PROJECT 2016 TWIRL PROJECT 13 2/16/2017 I-35 4:05p HWY SULPHUR, OK 177 WYNNEWOOD CHASE SCOUT 3 MAY 9, 2016 SM DAVIS Rt. 7 SULPHUR 4:07 PM Multi-vortex I-35 4:05p tornado SW HWY 177 WYNNEWOOD SCOUT 3 DAVIS Rt. 7 SULPHUR 4:07PM – POD L deployed I-35 4:11p HWY 177 WYNNEWOOD SCOUT 3 1m DAVIS Rt. 7 SULPHUR 14 2/16/2017 I-35 4:11p 4:15 PM Pod M deployed HWY 177 WYNNEWOOD SCOUT 3 1m DAVIS Rt. 7 SULPHUR I-35 4:18p I-35 4:18p HWY HWY 177 177 WYNNEWOOD WYNNEWOOD SCOUT 3 SCOUT 3 DAVIS Rt. 7 SULPHUR DAVIS Rt. 7 SULPHUR 4:19 PM Tornado crossed Meridian Rd. 4:17 PM POD N deployed The tornado went south of all 3 pods 15 2/16/2017 4:44 PM – Multi-vortex 4:25 PM Tornado lifts and destroys house tornado forms south HWY HWY 177 4:50p 177 4:50p WYNNEWOOD WYNNEWOOD SCOUT 3 SCOUT 3 SULPHUR SULPHUR DAVIS Rt. 7 DAVIS Rt. 7 I-35 I-35 4:52 PM – Wedge just south 4:55 PM – Wedge just south 16 2/16/2017 Quickly deployed pod in Reality duplicates Hollywood front of wedge tornado V O R T E X 2 S P E C I A L E D I T I O N SCOUT 3 Thanks to Scott Peake V HWY HWY 177 4:57p 177 4:57p WYNNEWOOD WYNNEWOOD SCOUT 3 SCOUT 3 SULPHUR SULPHUR DAVIS Rt. 7 DAVIS Rt. 7 I-35 I-35 Courtesy of CSWR 1 m/s = 2.237 mph 5:00 PM Tornado approaching us. Pod hit. 89 mph 17 2/16/2017 Courtesy of CSWR Courtesy of CSWR 1 km 1 km Courtesy of CSWR Courtesy of CSWR 1 km 1 km Courtesy of CSWR Courtesy of CSWR 78mph 1 km 1 km 18 2/16/2017 Courtesy of CSWR Courtesy of CSWR 1 km 1 km Courtesy of CSWR FIRST POD HIT FOR CSWR 1 km TORNADO TRACKS by NWS I- 3 OKC Area 5 Damage KATIE SULPHUR TORNADO TORNADO Surveys 9 MILES 17 MILES LONG LONG 21 MINUTES 43 MINUTES RATED EF-4 RATED EF-3 19 2/16/2017 1999, 2003 and 2013 PATHS May 3, 1999 – Moore, OK 1 SQ. MILE Still images from video by Tim Marshall Variation of damage: F0 to F5 F-scales overlaid on aerial photo 117 118 CRITICAL CONNECTIONS Problems with foundation attachment 20 2/16/2017 Types of connections to slab Typical connection of wall to slab F indicates likely failure areas Straight-nailed studs pulled away from Studs pulled out from strapped bottom plate (May 1999) bottom plate (May 1999) Bottom plate had been secured with Scrape in slab where cut nail moved shot pins (May 1999) (May 1999) 21 2/16/2017 Cut nails were all that was left of this I returned to Moore in August 1999 and house (May 1999) examined 40 homes under construction… Five homes were bolted to their foundations (12.5%). Six homes were strapped to their foundations (15%). 29 homes were nailed or pinned to their foundations (72.5%). Building Code Anchor Bolt Placement Requirements Wood bottom plates on exterior walls shall be bolted to the foundations a maximum of 6 feet apart. A nut with washer must be tightened on each bolt. There shall be a minimum of TWO bolts per plate section. 130 12.5% foundations had bolts ( Aug. 1999) Properly bolted wall plates (Aug. 1999) 22 2/16/2017 15% of foundations had straps (Aug. 1999) Oops. Strap outside wall insulation board (Aug. 1999) 72.5% of walls were to be nailed or pinned to their foundations (Aug. 1999) Oops #2 – Straps outside of insulation board (Aug. 1999) Use of cut nails on perimeter walls Shot pinned wall plate to slab (Aug. 1999) was a code violation (Aug. 1999) 23 2/16/2017 How deep does a cut nail extend into the slab? Problems with wall attachment About a half inch if it doesn’t spall the concrete! Let-in brace helps stiffen wall (Aug.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Wind Speed-Damage Correlation in Hurricane Katrina
    JP 1.36 WIND SPEED-DAMAGE CORRELATION IN HURRICANE KATRINA Timothy P. Marshall* Haag Engineering Co. Dallas, Texas 1. INTRODUCTION According to Knabb et al. (2006), Hurricane Katrina Mehta et al. (1983) and Kareem (1984) utilized the was the costliest hurricane disaster in the United States to concept of wind speed-damage correlation after date. The hurricane caused widespread devastation from Hurricanes Frederic and Alicia, respectively. In essence, Florida to Louisiana to Mississippi making a total of three each building acts like an anemometer that records the landfalls before dissipating over the Ohio River Valley. wind speed. A range of failure wind speeds can be The storm damaged or destroyed many properties, determined by analyzing building damage whereas especially near the coasts. undamaged buildings can provide upper bounds to the Since the hurricane, various agencies have conducted wind speeds. In 2006, WSEC developed a wind speed- building damage assessments to estimate the wind fields damage scale entitled the EF-scale, named after the late that occurred during the storm. The National Oceanic Dr. Ted Fujita. The author served on this committee. and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA, 2005a) Wind speed-damage correlation is useful especially conducted aerial and ground surveys and published a when few ground-based wind speed measurements are wind speed map. Likewise, the Federal Emergency available. Such was the case in Hurricane Katrina when Management Agency (FEMA, 2006) conducted a similar most of the automated stations failed before the eye study and produced another wind speed map. Both reached the coast. However, mobile towers were studies used a combination of wind speed-damage deployed by Texas Tech University (TTU) at Slidell, LA correlation, actual wind measurements, as well as and Bay St.
    [Show full text]
  • Rotating Storms: Supercells, Tornadoes, and Tropical Storms
    RotatingRotating Storms:Storms: SupercellsSupercells,, Tornadoes,Tornadoes, andand TropicalTropical StormsStorms AT 351 Lab 12 April 14, 2008 SupercellsSupercells ! Characterized by rotating updrafts (called a mesocyclone) ! Differ from multicell cluster because smaller updrafts merge into a main rotated updraft rather than developing separate and competing cells ! Can persist for 12 hours and travel hundreds of miles ! Forms in environments of strong winds aloft ! Winds veer with height from the surface ! Can be classified as either High Precipitation (HP) or Low Precipitation (LP) SupercellSupercell HPHP SupercellsSupercells •Dark rain and hail core •Prolific producers of lightning and flash floods LPLP SupercellsSupercells ! Typically associated with a dry line ! Typically small and lacking in rainfall TornadoesTornadoes ! Formation ! Life Cycle ! Definition ! Types ! Damage ! EF-scale FormationFormation ! We know relatively little about the formation of tornadoes, known as tornadogenesis ! However, we do know the basic steps along the way ! It is the details we are missing, but they are very crucial details VorticityVorticity ! Vorticity is the name we give to a natural spin in the air ! Caused mainly by wind shear ! Just like a pinwheel Non-SupercellNon-Supercell TornadoTornado FormationFormation ! Vertical wind shear crucial VorticityVorticity TiltingTilting ! After horizontal rotation is established, the storm’s updraft works to tilt it upright ! Now the storm has a vertically rotating component SuctionSuction VorticesVortices
    [Show full text]
  • Ttu Fujita 000088.Pdf (5.624Mb)
    An Interpretation of the Probable Cause of Chronic Intolerable Pain at the Base of my Feet Special Report Requested by Dr. Robert F. Abbey, Jr. Associate Director for Integration Ocean, Atmosphere, and Space S&T Department Office of Naval Research and Supported by ONR Grant N00014-91-J1136 and University of Chicago Account 6-31562 June 1997 Delayed Delivery Tetsuya Theodore Fujita, Director Wind Research Laboratory Department of Geophysical Sciences The University of Chicago 5734 S. Ellis Avenue Chicago, Illinois 60637 U. S.A. 1 Preface I have been feeling extremely sorry to the sponsors of my Wind Research Laboratory and to Dean Oxtoby of The Division of Physical Sciences for not achieving my promised research, as originally planned. As you know, I began working on the research being encouraged by the 17 January 1996 letter stating, in effect, that my blood sugar control is wonderful and my diabetes will not influence my health or longevity. The letter was used for my grant negotiation, in support of my health. Unexpectedly and coincidentally, seven months thereafter, on 17 August 1996, I began suffering from the chronic severe pain at the base of my feet, resulting in ambulatory difficulty. Furthermore, neither the cause of pain nor treatment method has been established. Now the intolerable pain is accompanied by my cold feet, feeling like cold­ blooded Homosapiens. I am, hereby submitting you "An Interpretation of the Probable Cause of the Pain" written to the best of my meteorology-oriented analyses, which could be different from the medical analyses by each doctor. 3 REFERENCES dd ....
    [Show full text]
  • Lecture 15 Hurricane Structure
    MET 200 Lecture 15 Hurricanes Last Lecture: Atmospheric Optics Structure and Climatology The amazing variety of optical phenomena observed in the atmosphere can be explained by four physical mechanisms. • What is the structure or anatomy of a hurricane? • How to build a hurricane? - hurricane energy • Hurricane climatology - when and where Hurricane Katrina • Scattering • Reflection • Refraction • Diffraction 1 2 Colorado Flood Damage Hurricanes: Useful Websites http://www.wunderground.com/hurricane/ http://www.nrlmry.navy.mil/tc_pages/tc_home.html http://tropic.ssec.wisc.edu http://www.nhc.noaa.gov Hurricane Alberto Hurricanes are much broader than they are tall. 3 4 Hurricane Raymond Hurricane Raymond 5 6 Hurricane Raymond Hurricane Raymond 7 8 Hurricane Raymond: wind shear Typhoon Francisco 9 10 Typhoon Francisco Typhoon Francisco 11 12 Typhoon Francisco Typhoon Francisco 13 14 Typhoon Lekima Typhoon Lekima 15 16 Typhoon Lekima Hurricane Priscilla 17 18 Hurricane Priscilla Hurricanes are Tropical Cyclones Hurricanes are a member of a family of cyclones called Tropical Cyclones. West of the dateline these storms are called Typhoons. In India and Australia they are called simply Cyclones. 19 20 Hurricane Isaac: August 2012 Characteristics of Tropical Cyclones • Low pressure systems that don’t have fronts • Cyclonic winds (counter clockwise in Northern Hemisphere) • Anticyclonic outflow (clockwise in NH) at upper levels • Warm at their center or core • Wind speeds decrease with height • Symmetric structure about clear "eye" • Latent heat from condensation in clouds primary energy source • Form over warm tropical and subtropical oceans NASA VIIRS Day-Night Band 21 22 • Differences between hurricanes and midlatitude storms: Differences between hurricanes and midlatitude storms: – energy source (latent heat vs temperature gradients) - Winter storms have cold and warm fronts (asymmetric).
    [Show full text]
  • Investigation and Prediction of Hurricane Eyewall
    INVESTIGATION AND PREDICTION OF HURRICANE EYEWALL REPLACEMENT CYCLES By Matthew Sitkowski A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences) at the UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON 2012 Date of final oral examination: 4/9/12 The dissertation is approved by the following members of the Final Oral Committee: James P. Kossin, Affiliate Professor, Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences Daniel J. Vimont, Professor, Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences Steven A. Ackerman, Professor, Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences Jonathan E. Martin, Professor, Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences Gregory J. Tripoli, Professor, Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences i Abstract Flight-level aircraft data and microwave imagery are analyzed to investigate hurricane secondary eyewall formation and eyewall replacement cycles (ERCs). This work is motivated to provide forecasters with new guidance for predicting and better understanding the impacts of ERCs. A Bayesian probabilistic model that determines the likelihood of secondary eyewall formation and a subsequent ERC is developed. The model is based on environmental and geostationary satellite features. A climatology of secondary eyewall formation is developed; a 13% chance of secondary eyewall formation exists when a hurricane is located over water, and is also utilized by the model. The model has been installed at the National Hurricane Center and has skill in forecasting secondary eyewall formation out to 48 h. Aircraft reconnaissance data from 24 ERCs are examined to develop a climatology of flight-level structure and intensity changes associated with ERCs. Three phases are identified based on the behavior of the maximum intensity of the hurricane: intensification, weakening and reintensification.
    [Show full text]
  • Extratropical Cyclones and Anticyclones
    © Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC. NOT FOR SALE OR DISTRIBUTION Courtesy of Jeff Schmaltz, the MODIS Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC/NASA Extratropical Cyclones 10 and Anticyclones CHAPTER OUTLINE INTRODUCTION A TIME AND PLACE OF TRAGEDY A LiFE CYCLE OF GROWTH AND DEATH DAY 1: BIRTH OF AN EXTRATROPICAL CYCLONE ■■ Typical Extratropical Cyclone Paths DaY 2: WiTH THE FI TZ ■■ Portrait of the Cyclone as a Young Adult ■■ Cyclones and Fronts: On the Ground ■■ Cyclones and Fronts: In the Sky ■■ Back with the Fitz: A Fateful Course Correction ■■ Cyclones and Jet Streams 298 9781284027372_CH10_0298.indd 298 8/10/13 5:00 PM © Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC. NOT FOR SALE OR DISTRIBUTION Introduction 299 DaY 3: THE MaTURE CYCLONE ■■ Bittersweet Badge of Adulthood: The Occlusion Process ■■ Hurricane West Wind ■■ One of the Worst . ■■ “Nosedive” DaY 4 (AND BEYOND): DEATH ■■ The Cyclone ■■ The Fitzgerald ■■ The Sailors THE EXTRATROPICAL ANTICYCLONE HIGH PRESSURE, HiGH HEAT: THE DEADLY EUROPEAN HEAT WaVE OF 2003 PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER ■■ Summary ■■ Key Terms ■■ Review Questions ■■ Observation Activities AFTER COMPLETING THIS CHAPTER, YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO: • Describe the different life-cycle stages in the Norwegian model of the extratropical cyclone, identifying the stages when the cyclone possesses cold, warm, and occluded fronts and life-threatening conditions • Explain the relationship between a surface cyclone and winds at the jet-stream level and how the two interact to intensify the cyclone • Differentiate between extratropical cyclones and anticyclones in terms of their birthplaces, life cycles, relationships to air masses and jet-stream winds, threats to life and property, and their appearance on satellite images INTRODUCTION What do you see in the diagram to the right: a vase or two faces? This classic psychology experiment exploits our amazing ability to recognize visual patterns.
    [Show full text]
  • ESSENTIALS of METEOROLOGY (7Th Ed.) GLOSSARY
    ESSENTIALS OF METEOROLOGY (7th ed.) GLOSSARY Chapter 1 Aerosols Tiny suspended solid particles (dust, smoke, etc.) or liquid droplets that enter the atmosphere from either natural or human (anthropogenic) sources, such as the burning of fossil fuels. Sulfur-containing fossil fuels, such as coal, produce sulfate aerosols. Air density The ratio of the mass of a substance to the volume occupied by it. Air density is usually expressed as g/cm3 or kg/m3. Also See Density. Air pressure The pressure exerted by the mass of air above a given point, usually expressed in millibars (mb), inches of (atmospheric mercury (Hg) or in hectopascals (hPa). pressure) Atmosphere The envelope of gases that surround a planet and are held to it by the planet's gravitational attraction. The earth's atmosphere is mainly nitrogen and oxygen. Carbon dioxide (CO2) A colorless, odorless gas whose concentration is about 0.039 percent (390 ppm) in a volume of air near sea level. It is a selective absorber of infrared radiation and, consequently, it is important in the earth's atmospheric greenhouse effect. Solid CO2 is called dry ice. Climate The accumulation of daily and seasonal weather events over a long period of time. Front The transition zone between two distinct air masses. Hurricane A tropical cyclone having winds in excess of 64 knots (74 mi/hr). Ionosphere An electrified region of the upper atmosphere where fairly large concentrations of ions and free electrons exist. Lapse rate The rate at which an atmospheric variable (usually temperature) decreases with height. (See Environmental lapse rate.) Mesosphere The atmospheric layer between the stratosphere and the thermosphere.
    [Show full text]
  • Visualization of Tornado Data
    Visualization of Tornado Data Anu Joy, Harshal Chheda, James Chy and Yuxing Sun Drexel University ABSTRACT— The aim of this project is to study the nature of tornadoes with the use of information visualization tools. The emphasis of this project is to study the tornadoes that change directions and their effects. For this report we used a subset of published storm data from the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The data set included many types of storms, but we focused upon just the storm data relating to tornadoes. Both Tableau and IBM Many Eyes were used as the information visualization tools to perform graphical analysis of the data. When visualizing the data, we focused on the BEGIN_AZIMUTH and the END_AZIMUTH parameters in the data, which reflect the change of tornado directions. We found that tornadoes do frequently change direction. Tornadoes that probably went straight seemed to have much less in injuries than ones, which probably changed course. We had difficulties using the visualization tools convey any aggregated information regarding directions in general because the direction was not presented as numeric values in NOAA data. During the preparation of visualizations, we found some skills to change and improve the presentation of data. improved in step with advances in technology, most prominently 1 INTRODUCTION with increasingly more sophisticated radar systems. Numerical simulations continue to improve with increased computer power, 1.1 Brief History of Tornado Research speed, and storage capabilities. Researchers continue to be fascinated by tornadoes and measure 1.2 Brief History of Research into Tornado Path and observe the paths tornadoes follow, the months they are Research occur, and regions in which are tornado prone.
    [Show full text]
  • Ardly a Day Passes in Lubbock, Texas, With- out Strong Winds Racing Across the South Plains. with Gusts of up to 23 Miles Per Ho
    BY LARISSA K. TRUE ardly a day passes in Lubbock, Texas, with- out strong winds racing across the South Plains. With gusts of up to 23 miles per hour on an average day, few Lubbockites have grown to appreciate the wind. Many complain, but few understand the phenomenon that has made West Texas unique for decades. In addition to being home to a more-than-typically breezy climate, the city of Lubbock and Texas Tech University’s Southwest Collection/Special Collections Library are the keepers of one of the finest and most sought after compilations of invaluable wind research documentation in the world. On May 20, 2005, the Southwest Collec- tion formally accepted Professor Tetsuya “Ted” Fujita’s meticulous and copious records of every major wind event that occurred from the end of World War II until his death in the late 1990s. 26 • SPRING 2006 vol. 1 No.1 • 27 The image on the previous page shows Fujita’s wind generator laboratory where he studied downbursts. The Southwest ujita’s impressive career began when he taught school in scale was not efficient. The new scale is an enhancement that will Collection/Special Collections Library is home to Ted Fujita’s compilation of Japan during World War II. Following the dropping of make the scale more reliable and consistent.” The EF scale was invaluable wind research, the largest atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945 by developed by the Wind Science and Engineering Research Center such documentation in the world. Scenes below show the aftermath of the Lubbock the United States, the Japanese government dispatched (WISE) researchers along with an assembly of wind engineers, tornado, as well as data of the storm that Fujita to execute a survey and identify whether a weapon universities, private companies, government organizations and hit at 7 p.m.
    [Show full text]
  • Airborne Radar Observations of Eye Configuration Changes, Bright
    UDC 661.616.22:661.M)9.61: 661.601.81 Airborne Radar Observations of Eye Configuration Changes, Bright Band Distribution, and Precipitation Tilt During the 1969 Multiple Seeding Experiments in Hurricane Debbie' PETER G. BLACK-National Hurricane Research Laboratory, Environmental Research Laboratories, NOAA, Miami, Fla. HARRY V. SENN and CHARLES L. COURTRIGHT-Radar Meteorology Laboratory, Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Miami, Coral Gables, Fla. ABSTRACT-Project Stormfury radar precipitation data radius of maximum winds follow closely the changes in gathered before, during, and after the multiple seedings of eyewall radius. It is suggested that the different results on the eyewall region of hurricane Debbie on Aug. 18 and 20, the 2 days might be attributable to seeding beyond the 1969, are used to study changes in the eye configuration, radius of maximum winds on the 18th and inside the the characteristics of the radar bright band, and the outer radius of maximum winds on the 20th. precipitation tilt. Increases in the echo-free area within The bright band is found in all quadrants of the storm the eye followed each of the five seedings on the 18th, within 100 n.mi. of the eye, sloping slightly upward near but followed only one seeding on the 20th. Changes in the eyewall. The inferred shears are directed outward and major axis orientation followed only one seeding on the slightly down band with height in both layers studied. 18th, but followed each seeding on the 20th. Similar The hurricane Debbie bright band and precipitation tilt studies conducted recently on unmodified storms suggest data compared favorably with those gathered in Betsy of that such changes do not occur naturally.
    [Show full text]
  • News from Our Chapters
    News from Our Chapters Houston typhoons located relatively close to each other will At the 21 May meeting, awards were presented to rotate around each other. This finding is extremely two students for outstanding meteorological projects important to the tornado warning program. It can from the 1991 Houston Regional Science Fair. Both never be assumed a tornado will move in a straight students were presented with certificates and a year's line if a second tornado forms nearby. subscription XoWeatherwise. The senior-level award Fujita showed examples where the Fujiwara Effect winner was Steven Crawford, who had presented a applied to two mesocyclones in Tennessee and Geor- project entitled "Dynamics of Common Thunderstorm gia on 3 and 4 April 1974. Types." Jeff Thorner, the junior-level award recipient In the 1970s, most tornadoes near Chicago oc- presented a project which he titled "Home Weather curred northwest of the city. In the 1980s, the focus of Forecasting." The ninth-grade winner, David Boggs, tornadic activity shifted southwest of the city proper. I n was unable to receive his award in person but is to be 1990, this trend with the Plainfield tornado occurring congratulated for his project called "The Formation of southwest of Chicago continued. A Tornado." The Plainfield tornado was characterized by twin The guest speaker at the May meeting was Robert peaks of very cold air aloft, shooting through and Spellicy, who is senior program manager at Radian above the anvil of the storm as shown from a polar- Corporation. Spellicy discussed some opf the remote orbiting satellite. This same double structure was sensing systems for detection of pollutants in the air.
    [Show full text]
  • What Is Storm Surge?
    INTRODUCTION TO STORM SURGE Introduction to Storm Surge National Hurricane Center Storm Surge Unit BOLIVAR PENINSULA IN TEXAS AFTER HURRICANE IKE (2008) What is Storm Surge? Inland Extent Storm surge can penetrate well inland from the coastline. During Hurricane Ike, the surge moved inland nearly 30 miles in some locations in southeastern Texas and southwestern Louisiana. Storm surge is an abnormal Storm tide is the water level rise of water generated by a rise during a storm due to storm, over and above the the combination of storm predicted astronomical tide. surge and the astronomical tide. • It’s the change in the water level that is due to the presence of the • Since storm tide is the storm combination of surge and tide, it • Since storm surge is a difference does require a reference level Vulnerability between water levels, it does not All locations along the U.S. East and Gulf coasts • A 15 ft. storm surge on top of a are vulnerable to storm surge. This figure shows have a reference level high tide that is 2 ft. above mean the areas that could be inundated by water in any sea level produces a 17 ft. storm given category 4 hurricane. tide. INTRODUCTION TO STORM SURGE 2 What causes Storm Surge? Storm surge is caused primarily by the strong winds in a hurricane or tropical storm. The low pressure of the storm has minimal contribution! The wind circulation around the eye of a Once the hurricane reaches shallower hurricane (left above) blows on the waters near the coast, the vertical ocean surface and produces a vertical circulation in the ocean becomes In general, storm surge occurs where winds are blowing onshore.
    [Show full text]