STORM SPOTTING Skip Talbot SECRETS Photography by Jennifer Brindley Ubl and others Topics • Supercell Visualization • Radar Presentation • Structure Identification • Storm Properties • Walk Through Disclaimers • Attend spotter training • Your safety is more important than spotting, photos, video, or tornado reports Supercell Visualization Lemon and Doswell 1979 Supercell Visualization Supercell Visualization Photo: Chris Gullikson Supercell Visualization Photo: Chris Gullikson Anvil Anvil Backshear Mammatus Cumulonimbus Flanking Line Cloud Base Striations Precipitation Wall Cloud Precipitation-free Base Supercell Visualization Radar Presentation Classic Hook Echo Radar Presentation Android / iOS Android Windows GrLevel3 / GrLevel2 Radar Presentation Classic Hook Echo Radar Presentation Radar Presentation Radar Presentation Radar Presentation Storm Spotting Zoo • Bear’s Cage • Whale’s Mouth • Beaver Tail • Horseshoe • Ghost Train Base (Updraft Base) (Rain Free Base or RFB) Base (Updraft Base) (Rain Free Base or RFB) Base (Updraft Base) (Rain Free Base or RFB) Base (Updraft Base) (Rain Free Base or RFB) Base (Updraft Base) (Rain Free Base or RFB) Base (Updraft Base) (Rain Free Base or RFB) Horseshoe Horseshoe Horseshoe Horseshoe Horseshoe Horseshoe Horseshoe Horseshoe Horseshoe Horseshoe Horseshoe Horseshoe Horseshoe Horseshoe - Cyclical supercell with multiple tornadoes HorseshoeHorseshoe HorseshoeHorseshoe Horseshoe Horseshoe – Anticyclonic Funnel Horseshoe Horseshoe – Anticyclonic Funnel Horseshoe - No Wall Cloud Horseshoe - No Wall Cloud Horseshoe - High Precipitation Supercell Horseshoe - High Precipitation Supercell Horseshoe - High Precipitation Supercell Horseshoe - High Precipitation Supercell Horseshoe Horseshoe Horseshoe Horseshoe Base Horseshoe Base Spiraling rain bands under mesocyclone Spiraling rain bands under mesocyclone The Bear’s Cage Bear’s Cage Bear’s Cage Bear’s Cage Bear’s Cage Bear’s Cage Bear’s Cage Bear’s Cage Bear’s Cage Bear’s Cage Bear’s Cage Bear’s Cage Bear’s Cage Bear’s Cage Shark Tank Turbulent gust front wake The Whale’s Mouth Whale’s Mouth Whale’s Mouth Whale’s Mouth Whale’s Mouth Whale’s Teeth Whale’s Teeth Outflow and gustnadoes Whale’s Teeth Outflow Beaver Tails Tail Clouds Inflow Bands Tail Clouds Tail Clouds Tail Clouds Tail Clouds Tail Clouds Tail Clouds Inflow Band Tail Cloud Tornado’s rear inflow jet The Ghost Train Ghost Train Ghost Train Ghost Train Ghost Train Ghost Train Ghost Train Storm Properties • Inflow/Outflow • Surface Based/Elevated • Tornado Red Flags • Tornado Strength Outflow Points away from rain Inflow Points toward rain Shelf cloud or Wall cloud? It’s both! Surface Based SurfaceElevated Based SurfaceElevated Based Elevated Surface Based High Precipitation Tornado Red Flags Rapid Left To Right Rain Sudden inflow surge Positive CG barrage Negative Positive Positive Tornado Intensity Multivortex Developing Wedge Tornado Intensity Vorticity Noodles Violent Tornado Skip Talbot [email protected] youtube.com/skiptalbot Jennifer Brindley Ubl faceofastorm.com stormassist.com .