Doppler Radar Observations of Anticyclonic Tornadoes in Cyclonically Rotating, Right-Moving Supercells

Supercells dominated by mesocyclones, which tend to propagate to the right of the tropospheric pressure-weighted mean wind, on rare occasions produce anticyclonic tornadoes at the trailing end of the rear-flank gust front. More frequently, mesoanticyclones are found at this location, most of which d...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Monthly weather review 2016-04, Vol.144 (4), p.1591-1616
Main Authors: Bluestein, Howard B, French, Michael M, Snyder, Jeffrey C, Houser, Jana B
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Colleges & universities
Cyclones
Data processing
Doppler radar
Doppler radar data
Doppler radar observation
Doppler sonar
Environmental factors
Environmental parameters
Experiments
Gust front
Hypotheses
Mean winds
Parameter identification
Radar
Radar data
Storms
Supercells
Tornadoes
Vortices
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Summary:Supercells dominated by mesocyclones, which tend to propagate to the right of the tropospheric pressure-weighted mean wind, on rare occasions produce anticyclonic tornadoes at the trailing end of the rear-flank gust front. More frequently, mesoanticyclones are found at this location, most of which do not spawn any tornadoes. In this paper, four cases are discussed in which the formation of anticyclonic tornadoes was documented in the plains by mobile or fixed-site Doppler radars. These brief case studies include the analysis of Doppler radar data for tornadoes at the following dates and locations: 1) 24 April 2006, near El Reno, Oklahoma; 2) 23 May 2008, near Ellis, Kansas; 3) 18 March 2012, near Willow, Oklahoma; and 4) 31 May 2013, near El Reno, Oklahoma. Three of these tornadoes were also documented photographically. In all of these cases, a strong mesocyclone (i.e., vortex signature characterized by azimuthal shear in excess of ~5 × 10 −3 s −1 or a 20 m s −1 change in Doppler velocity over 5 km) or tornado was observed ~10 km away from the anticyclonic tornado. In three of these cases, the evolution of the tornadic vortex signature in time and height is described. Other features common to all cases are noted and possible mechanisms for anticyclonic tornadogenesis are identified. In addition, a set of estimated environmental parameters for these and other similar cases are discussed.
ISSN:0027-0644
1520-0493
DOI:10.1175/MWR-D-15-0304.1