Tornado: In the Eye of the Storm

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The size of the eye varies, depending on the size of the hurricane. Some eyes are as small as five miles across, while others are as big as 60 miles. It is hard to gage – when the eye of the hurricane is above you – just when the storms will start up again. a b c Montgomery, Michael T.; Vladimirov, Vladimir A.; Denissenko, Peter V. (2002). "An experimental study on hurricane mesovortices" (PDF). Journal of Fluid Mechanics. 471 (1): 1–32. Bibcode: 2002JFM...471....1M. doi: 10.1017/S0022112002001647. S2CID 6744823. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-01-25 . Retrieved 2013-05-06. a b c d e f g h Lyons, Walter A. (1997). "Tornadoes". The Handy Weather Answer Book (2nded.). Detroit, Michigan: Visible Ink press. pp. 175–200. ISBN 0-7876-1034-8. As the mesocyclone lowers below the cloud base, it begins to take in cool, moist air from the downdraft region of the storm. The convergence of warm air in the updraft and cool air causes a rotating wall cloud to form. The RFD also focuses the mesocyclone's base, causing it to draw air from a smaller and smaller area on the ground. As the updraft intensifies, it creates an area of low pressure at the surface. This pulls the focused mesocyclone down, in the form of a visible condensation funnel. As the funnel descends, the RFD also reaches the ground, fanning outward and creating a gust front that can cause severe damage a considerable distance from the tornado. Usually, the funnel cloud begins causing damage on the ground (becoming a tornado) within a few minutes of the RFD reaching the ground. [19] [55] Many other aspects of tornado formation (such as why some storms form tornadoes while others do not, or what precise role downdrafts, temperature, and moisture play in tornado formation) are still poorly understood. [56] Maturity A mature stovepipe tornado near Yuma, Colorado.

Ben-Amots, N. (2016). "Dynamics and thermodynamics of tornado: Rotation effects". Atmospheric Research. 178–179: 320–328. Bibcode: 2016AtmRe.178..320B. doi: 10.1016/j.atmosres.2016.03.025. In summary, the inside of a tornado, while calm and eerily beautiful, is a place of immense danger. It offers a unique perspective on these powerful natural phenomena but is a viewpoint best left to remote sensing tools and simulations. After all, the best place to be during a tornado is as far away as possible. The eye of a tornado is typically clear or filled with a light dust haze. The air pressure is significantly lower than in surrounding areas, which can create an odd, heavy feeling in one's ears, similar to the sensation experienced when changing altitude rapidly.This clear space is surrounded by a ring of heavy rain and debris that is often moving outward, away from the tornado’s center. That’s because the winds are spinning incredibly fast and creating centrifugal force that pulls these objects away from the middle of the storm. Sometimes areas of heavy rain that are a little farther removed from the tornado spiral inward toward the area of rotation, like the spiral bands that extend outward from the eye of a hurricane. a b c Bluestein, Howard (1999). "A History of Severe-Storm-Intercept Field Programs". Weather Forecast. 14 (4): 558–77. Bibcode: 1999WtFor..14..558B. doi: 10.1175/1520-0434(1999)014<0558:AHOSSI>2.0.CO;2. Research shows that 53 percent of intense hurricanes undergo at least one of these cycles during its existence. [15] Hurricane Allen in 1980 went through repeated eyewall replacement cycles, fluctuating between Category 5 and Category 4 status on the Saffir–Simpson scale several times, while Hurricane Juliette (2001) is a documented case of triple eyewalls. [15] Moats [ edit ] Though only tropical cyclones have structures officially termed "eyes", there are other weather systems that can exhibit eye-like features. [1] [32] Polar lows [ edit ]

While normally quite symmetric, eyes can be oblong and irregular, especially in weakening storms. A large ragged eye is a non-circular eye which appears fragmented, and is an indicator of a weak or weakening tropical cyclone. An open eye is an eye which can be circular, but the eyewall does not completely encircle the eye, also indicating a weakening, moisture-deprived cyclone or a weak but strengthening one. Both of these observations are used to estimate the intensity of tropical cyclones via Dvorak analysis. [5] Eyewalls are typically circular; however, distinctly polygonal shapes ranging from triangles to hexagons occasionally occur. [6] Hurricane Wilma with a pinhole eye A typical tropical cyclone has an eye approximately 30–65 km (20–40 mi) across at the geometric center of the storm. The eye may be clear or have spotty low clouds (a clear eye), it may be filled with low- and mid-level clouds (a filled eye), or it may be obscured by the central dense overcast. There is, however, very little wind and rain, especially near the center. This is in stark contrast to conditions in the eyewall, which contains the storm's strongest winds. [3] Due to the mechanics of a tropical cyclone, the eye and the air directly above it are warmer than their surroundings. [4]

the eye of the storm

Subtropical cyclones are low-pressure systems with some extratropical characteristics and some tropical characteristics. As such, they may have an eye while not being truly tropical in nature. Subtropical cyclones can be very hazardous, generating high winds and seas, and often evolve into fully tropical cyclones. For this reason, the National Hurricane Center began including subtropical storms in its naming scheme in 2002. [35] Tornadoes [ edit ]

a b Edwards, Roger (2009). "Public Domain Tornado Images". National Weather Service. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration . Retrieved 2009-11-17. Beven, John L. (2005-10-27). "Tropical Storm Beta Discussion Number 3". Hurricane Beta Advisory Archive (Report). National Hurricane Center. Archived from the original on 2018-10-07 . Retrieved 2013-05-07. Tornadoes emit widely on the acoustics spectrum and the sounds are caused by multiple mechanisms. Various sounds of tornadoes have been reported, mostly related to familiar sounds for the witness and generally some variation of a whooshing roar. Popularly reported sounds include a freight train, rushing rapids or waterfall, a nearby jet engine, or combinations of these. Many tornadoes are not audible from much distance; the nature of and the propagation distance of the audible sound depends on atmospheric conditions and topography. [5] From 1st July 2021, VAT will be applicable to those EU countries where VAT is applied to books - this additional charge will be collected by Fed Ex (or the Royal Mail) at the time of delivery. Shipments to the USA & Canada:Monteverdi, John (2003-01-25). "Sunnyvale and Los Altos, CA Tornadoes 1998-05-04". Archived from the original on 2013-06-13 . Retrieved 2006-10-20.

Many aspects of this process remain a mystery. Scientists do not know why a ring of convection forms around the center of circulation instead of on top of it, or why the upper-level anticyclone ejects only a portion of the excess air above the storm. Many theories exist as to the exact process by which the eye forms: all that is known for sure is that the eye is necessary for tropical cyclones to achieve high wind speeds. [12] Unlike audible signatures, tornadic signatures have been isolated; due to the long-distance propagation of low-frequency sound, efforts are ongoing to develop tornado prediction and detection devices with additional value in understanding tornado morphology, dynamics, and creation. [47] Tornadoes also produce a detectable seismic signature, and research continues on isolating it and understanding the process. [48] Electromagnetic, lightning, and other effects The tornado which holds most records in history was the Tri-State Tornado, which roared through parts of Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana on March 18, 1925. It was likely an F5, though tornadoes were not ranked on any scale in that era. It holds records for longest path length (219 miles; 352km), longest duration (about 3.5 hours), and fastest forward speed for a significant tornado (73mph; 117km/h) anywhere on Earth. In addition, it is the deadliest single tornado in United States history (695 dead). [24] The tornado was also the costliest tornado in history at the time (unadjusted for inflation), but in the years since has been surpassed by several others if population changes over time are not considered. When costs are normalized for wealth and inflation, it ranks third today. [115]The eye is a region of mostly calm weather at the center of a tropical cyclone. The eye of a storm is a roughly circular area, typically 30–65 kilometers (19–40 miles) in diameter. It is surrounded by the eyewall, a ring of towering thunderstorms where the most severe weather and highest winds of the cyclone occur. The cyclone's lowest barometric pressure occurs in the eye and can be as much as 15 percent lower than the pressure outside the storm. [1] a b Dotzek, Nikolai (2003-03-20). "An updated estimate of tornado occurrence in Europe". Atmos. Res. 67–68: 153–161. Bibcode: 2003AtmRe..67..153D. CiteSeerX 10.1.1.669.2418. doi: 10.1016/S0169-8095(03)00049-8.