Satellite tornado
A satellite tornado is a tornado that revolves around a larger, primary tornado and interacts with the same mesocyclone. Satellite tornadoes occur apart from the primary tornado and are not considered subvortices; the primary tornado and satellite tornadoes are considered to be separate tornadoes. The cause of satellite tornadoes is not known. Such tornadoes are more often anticyclonic than are typical tornadoes and these pairs may be referred to as tornado couplets.[1] Satellite tornadoes commonly occur in association with very powerful, large, and destructive tornadoes, indicative also of the strength and severity of the parent supercell thunderstorm.[2]
Satellite tornadoes are relatively uncommon. When a satellite tornado does occur, there is often more than one orbiting satellite spawned during the life cycle of the tornado or with successive primary tornadoes spawned by the parent supercell (a process known as cyclic tornadogenesis and leading to a tornado family). On tornado outbreak days, if satellite tornadoes occur with one supercell, there is an elevated probability of their occurrence with other supercells.[citation needed]
Satellite tornados tend to orbit their parent cyclonically, counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere, and clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere, and will generally form near the edge of a supercell's mesocyclone, and gradually travel inward to the parent tornado.[3] Satellite tornadoes may merge into their companion tornado although the appearance of this occurring is often an illusion caused when an orbiting tornado revolves around the backside of a primary tornado obscuring view of the satellite.[4] During the March 1990 Central United States tornado outbreak, one member of a tornado family (rated F5) constricted and became a satellite tornado of the next tornado of the family before merging into the new primary tornado which soon also intensified to F5.[5]
Examples
[edit]Some examples of tornado couplets include the Tri-State Tornado,[6] multiple tornadoes during the 1999 Oklahoma tornado outbreak,[7] the 2007 Greensburg tornado,[8] and the 2013 El Reno tornado.[9] Satellite tornadoes are more likely to be recognized in recent decades than in the far past as eyewitness accounts as well as damage survey information are often available for later events. The advent of storm chasing, in particular, boosts the likelihood that satellite tornadoes are noticed visually and/or on mobile radar.[10] These tornadoes may remain over open country and thus cause less structural damage and consequently are less widely known. Such examples include near Beloit, Kansas on 15 May 1990 and during Project VORTEX near Allison, Texas on 8 June 1995, among other events.[4]
List of confirmed satellite tornadoes
[edit]See also
[edit]Notes
[edit]- ^ This includes any fatalities from the parent and satellite tornadoes
- ^ This tornado's rating is an unofficial rating.
- ^ This track was probably a tornado family.
References
[edit]- ^ Marshall, Tim (1995). Storm Talk. David Hoadley (illust.). Texas.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ Edwards, Roger (2006-04-04). "Satellite tornado". The Online Tornado FAQ. Storm Prediction Center. Archived from the original on 2006-09-29. Retrieved 2012-04-26.
- ^ Edwards, Roger. "CHARACTERISTICS OF SUPERCELLULAR SATELLITE TORNADOES" (PDF). Retrieved 11 October 2024.
- ^ a b Edwards, Roger (2001). "Satellite Tornado". StormEyes. Retrieved 2014-03-22.
- ^ Davies, Jonathan M.; C. A. Doswell; D. W. Burgess; J. F. Weaver (1994). "Some Noteworthy Aspects of the Hesston, Kansas, Tornado Family of 13 March 1990". Bull. Amer. Meteor. Soc. 75 (6): 1007–17. Bibcode:1994BAMS...75.1007D. doi:10.1175/1520-0477(1994)075<1007:SNAOTH>2.0.CO;2.
- ^ Johns, Robert H.; D. W. Burgess; C. A. Doswell III; M. S. Gilmore; J. A. Hart; S. F. Piltz (2013). "The 1925 Tri-State Tornado Damage Path and Associated Storm System". e-Journal of Severe Storms Meteorology. 8 (2): 1–33. doi:10.55599/ejssm.v8i2.47.
- ^ Edwards, Roger (2002). "Central Oklahoma Tornado Intercept: 3 May 1999". StormEyes. Retrieved 2014-03-22.
- ^ Lemon, Leslie R.; M. Umschied (2008-10-27). "The Greensburg, KS Tornadic Storm: A Storm of Extremes". 24th Conf Severe Local Storms. Savannah, GA: American Meteorological Society.
- ^ Wurman, Joshua; K. Kosiba; P. Robinson; T. Marshall (2014). "The Role of Multiple-Vortex Tornado Structure in Causing Storm Researcher Fatalities". Bull. Am. Meteorol. Soc. 95 (1): 31–45. Bibcode:2014BAMS...95...31W. doi:10.1175/BAMS-D-13-00221.1.
- ^ Wurman, Joshua; K. Kosiba (2013). "Finescale Radar Observations of Tornado and Mesocyclone Structures". Weather Forecast. 28 (5): 1157–74. Bibcode:2013WtFor..28.1157W. doi:10.1175/WAF-D-12-00127.1.
- ^ a b c d e Grazulis, Thomas P. (1993). Significant tornadoes, 1680-1991: A Chronology and Analysis of Events. St. Johnsbury, Vermont: Environmental Films. ISBN 1-879362-03-1.
- ^ "Georgia Event Report: F3 Tornado". National Centers for Environmental Information. National Weather Service. Retrieved 5 May 2022."Georgia Event Report: F3 Tornado". National Centers for Environmental Information. National Weather Service. Retrieved 5 May 2022."Georgia Event Report: F3 Tornado". National Centers for Environmental Information. National Weather Service. Retrieved 5 May 2022.
- ^ "Georgia Event Report: F1 Tornado". National Centers for Environmental Information. National Weather Service. Retrieved 5 May 2022.
- ^ New Mexico Event Report: F1 Tornado. National Weather Service (Report). National Centers for Environmental Information. Retrieved 10 September 2020.
- ^ New Mexico Event Report: F0 Tornado. National Weather Service (Report). National Centers for Environmental Information. Retrieved 10 September 2020.
- ^ Iowa Event Report: F5 Tornado. National Centers for Environmental Information (Report). National Weather Service. Retrieved 7 April 2022.
- ^ Iowa Event Report: F5 Tornado. National Centers for Environmental Information (Report). National Weather Service. Retrieved 7 April 2022.
- ^ Iowa Event Report: F2 Tornado. National Centers for Environmental Information (Report). National Weather Service. Retrieved 7 April 2022.
- ^ Iowa Event Report: F3 Tornado. National Centers for Environmental Information (Report). National Weather Service. Retrieved 7 April 2022.
- ^ "June 13, 1976 Lemont Tornado". National Weather Service Chicago, Illinois.
- ^ a b "A look back at the Lemont tornado of June 13, 1976". WGN-TV. 5 June 2021.
- ^ "Kansas Event Report: F5 Tornado". National Centers for Environmental Information. National Weather Service. Retrieved 14 July 2022."Kansas Event Report: F5 Tornado". National Centers for Environmental Information. National Weather Service. Retrieved 14 July 2022."Kansas Event Report: F5 Tornado". National Centers for Environmental Information. National Weather Service. Retrieved 14 July 2022.
- ^ "Kansas Event Report: F5 Tornado". National Centers for Environmental Information. National Weather Service. Retrieved 14 July 2022."Kansas Event Report: F5 Tornado". National Centers for Environmental Information. National Weather Service. Retrieved 14 July 2022."Kansas Event Report: F5 Tornado". National Centers for Environmental Information. National Weather Service. Retrieved 14 July 2022.
- ^ "The 1999 Oklahoma Tornado Outbreak: 10-Year Retrospective" (PDF). Risk Management Solutions. 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 1, 2011. Retrieved June 28, 2013.
- ^ a b "The Great Plains Tornado Outbreak of May 3–4, 1999 Storm A Information". National Weather Service Office in Norman, Oklahoma. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. May 22, 2013. Retrieved June 1, 2013.
- ^ "Storm Events Database". National Weather Service. Retrieved 9 April 2022.
- ^ NWS Dodge City. "Greensburg Tornado Rated EF-5 (updated May 22)". Archived from the original on May 12, 2007. Retrieved 2007-05-22.
- ^ National Climatic Data Center. "NCDC Storm Reports". National Weather Service. Archived from the original on 2009-05-09. Retrieved 2008-02-29.
- ^ a b c d e Tanamachi, Robin L.; Bluestein, Howard B.; Houser, Jana B.; Frasier, Stephen J.; Hardwick, Kery M. (July 2012). "Mobile, X-band, Polarimetric Doppler Radar Observations of the 4 May 2007 Greensburg, Kansas, Tornadic Supercell". Monthly Weather Review. 140 (7). American Meteorological Society: 2103–2125. Bibcode:2012MWRv..140.2103T. doi:10.1175/MWR-D-11-00142.1.
- ^ "Storm Events Database - Event Details | National Centers for Environmental Information". www.ncdc.noaa.gov.
- ^ "Storm Events Database - Event Details | National Centers for Environmental Information". www.ncdc.noaa.gov.
- ^ "Oklahoma Event Report: EF3 Tornado". National Centers for Environmental Information. National Weather Service. Retrieved 25 May 2022."Oklahoma Event Report: EF3 Tornado". National Centers for Environmental Information. National Weather Service. Retrieved 25 May 2022."Kansas Event Report: EF1 Tornado". National Centers for Environmental Information. National Weather Service. Retrieved 25 May 2022.
- ^ "Oklahoma Event Report: EF0 Tornado". National Centers for Environmental Information. National Weather Service. Retrieved 25 May 2022.
- ^ Iowa Event Report: EF2 Tornado. National Centers for Environmental Information (Report). National Weather Service. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
- ^ Iowa Event Report: EF2 Tornado. National Centers for Environmental Information (Report). National Weather Service. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
- ^ Iowa Event Report: EF3 Tornado. National Centers for Environmental Information (Report). National Weather Service. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
- ^ Iowa Event Report: EF3 Tornado. National Centers for Environmental Information (Report). National Weather Service. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
- ^ Iowa Event Report: EF3 Tornado. National Centers for Environmental Information (Report). National Weather Service. Retrieved 8 April 2022.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Iowa Event Report: EF4 Tornado. National Centers for Environmental Information (Report). National Weather Service. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
- ^ Iowa Event Report: EF1 Tornado. National Centers for Environmental Information (Report). National Weather Service. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
- ^ Iowa Event Report: EF1 Tornado. National Centers for Environmental Information (Report). National Weather Service. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
- ^ Iowa Event Report: EF2 Tornado. National Centers for Environmental Information (Report). National Weather Service. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
- ^ "Oklahoma Event Report: EF5 Tornado". National Centers for Environmental Information. 2011. Retrieved January 28, 2023."Oklahoma Event Report: EF3 Tornado". National Centers for Environmental Information. 2011. Retrieved January 28, 2023."Oklahoma Event Report: EF3 Tornado". National Centers for Environmental Information. 2011. Retrieved January 28, 2023.
- ^ "Oklahoma Event Report: EF0 Tornado". National Centers for Environmental Information. 2011. Retrieved January 28, 2023.
- ^ a b "The Severe Weather Event of November 7-8, 2011". National Weather Service. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
- ^ Kansas Event Report: EF3 Tornado (Report). National Centers for Environmental Information. 2013. Retrieved February 20, 2017.
{{cite report}}
: Unknown parameter|agency=
ignored (help) - ^ Kansas Event Report: EF1 Tornado (Report). National Centers for Environmental Information. 2013. Retrieved February 20, 2017.
{{cite report}}
: Unknown parameter|agency=
ignored (help) - ^ a b "Central Oklahoma Tornadoes and Flash Flooding – May 31, 2013". National Weather Service Office in Norman, Oklahoma. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. May 31, 2013. Retrieved June 7, 2013.
- ^ Illinois Event Report: EF4 Tornado (Report). National Climatic Data Center. 2015. Retrieved December 31, 2015.
{{cite report}}
: Unknown parameter|agency=
ignored (help) - ^ Illinois Event Report: EF0 Tornado (Report). National Climatic Data Center. 2015. Retrieved December 31, 2015.
{{cite report}}
: Unknown parameter|agency=
ignored (help) - ^ Iowa Event Report: EF0 Tornado (Report). National Centers for Environmental Information. 2016. Retrieved December 7, 2016.
{{cite report}}
: Unknown parameter|agency=
ignored (help) - ^ Iowa Event Report: EF0 Tornado (Report). National Centers for Environmental Information. 2016. Retrieved December 7, 2016.
{{cite report}}
: Unknown parameter|agency=
ignored (help) - ^ Oklahoma Event Report: EF1 Tornado (Report). National Centers for Environmental Information. 2016. Retrieved December 10, 2016.
{{cite report}}
: Unknown parameter|agency=
ignored (help) - ^ Oklahoma Event Report: EFU Tornado (Report). National Centers for Environmental Information. 2016. Retrieved December 10, 2016.
{{cite report}}
: Unknown parameter|agency=
ignored (help) - ^ Oklahoma Event Report: EFU Tornado (Report). National Centers for Environmental Information. 2016. Retrieved December 10, 2016.
{{cite report}}
: Unknown parameter|agency=
ignored (help) - ^ Oklahoma Event Report: EFU Tornado (Report). National Centers for Environmental Information. 2016. Retrieved December 10, 2016.
{{cite report}}
: Unknown parameter|agency=
ignored (help) - ^ Wyoming Event Report: EF3 Tornado (Report). National Centers for Environmental Mesonet. 2018. Retrieved March 2, 2019.
{{cite report}}
: Unknown parameter|agency=
ignored (help) - ^ Wyoming Event Report: EF2 Tornado (Report). National Centers for Environmental Mesonet. 2018. Retrieved March 2, 2019.
{{cite report}}
: Unknown parameter|agency=
ignored (help) - ^ Iowa Event Report: EF3 Tornado. National Centers for Environmental Information (Report). National Weather Service. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
- ^ Iowa Event Report: EF2 Tornado. National Centers for Environmental Information (Report). National Weather Service. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
- ^ Iowa Event Report: EF0 Tornado. National Centers for Environmental Information (Report). National Weather Service. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
- ^ a b "Grosso tornado si abbatte a nord di Crotone: devastato centro commerciale, auto scaraventate via". Inmeteo.net. 2018-11-25. Retrieved 2022-05-06.
- ^ Oklahoma Event Report: EF2 Tornado (Report). National Centers for Environmental Information. 2019. Retrieved December 21, 2019.
{{cite report}}
: Unknown parameter|agency=
ignored (help) - ^ Oklahoma Event Report: EFU Tornado (Report). National Centers for Environmental Information. 2019. Retrieved December 21, 2019.
{{cite report}}
: Unknown parameter|agency=
ignored (help) - ^ a b Wyoming Event Report: EF2 Tornado (Report). National Centers for Environmental Information. 2019. Retrieved January 18, 2020.
{{cite report}}
: Unknown parameter|agency=
ignored (help) - ^ NWS Damage Survey for 3/13/21 Tornado Event Update #3 (Report). Iowa Environmental Mesonet. March 18, 2021. Retrieved March 18, 2021.
{{cite report}}
: Unknown parameter|agency=
ignored (help) - ^ Storm Events Database March 13, 2021 (Report). National Centers for Environmental Information. Retrieved June 16, 2021.
{{cite report}}
: Unknown parameter|agency=
ignored (help) - ^ Storm Events Database April 27, 2021 (Report). National Centers for Environmental Information. Retrieved August 12, 2021.
{{cite report}}
: Unknown parameter|agency=
ignored (help) - ^ Storm Events Database April 27, 2021 (Report). National Centers for Environmental Information. Retrieved August 12, 2021.
{{cite report}}
: Unknown parameter|agency=
ignored (help) - ^ Storm Events Database May 19, 2021 (Report). National Centers for Environmental Information. Retrieved August 28, 2021.
{{cite report}}
: Unknown parameter|agency=
ignored (help) - ^ Storm Events Database May 19, 2021 (Report). National Centers for Environmental Information. Retrieved August 28, 2021.
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ignored (help) - ^ a b "New ON tornadoes on May 25, Jun 11 and Jul 13". www.uwo.ca. Retrieved 2022-09-06.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Several injured after tornado hits German city of Kiel". Euronews.com. September 30, 2021. Archived from the original on October 3, 2021. Retrieved October 3, 2021.
- ^ "European Severe Weather Database". eswd.eu. Archived from the original on 20 January 2022. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
- ^ Storm Events Database October 12, 2021 (Report). National Centers for Environmental Information. Retrieved January 24, 2022.
{{cite report}}
: Unknown parameter|agency=
ignored (help) - ^ Storm Events Database October 12, 2021 (Report). National Centers for Environmental Information. Retrieved January 24, 2022.
{{cite report}}
: Unknown parameter|agency=
ignored (help) - ^ Kentucky Event Report: EF3 Tornado (Report). National Centers for Environmental Information. 2021. Retrieved March 20, 2022.
{{cite report}}
: Unknown parameter|agency=
ignored (help) - ^ Kentucky Event Report: EF2 Tornado (Report). National Centers for Environmental Information. 2021. Retrieved March 20, 2022.
{{cite report}}
: Unknown parameter|agency=
ignored (help) - ^ NWS Des Moines [@NWSDesMoines] (March 6, 2022). "Chariton/Red Haw State Park Tornado Peak Intensity: EF-3 (138 MPH) Path Length: 16.5 Miles 1 Injury, 1 Fatality" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ "ArcGIS Web Application". apps.dat.noaa.gov. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
- ^ a b NWS Damage Survey for 04/05/22 Clarke County Tornado Event (Report). Iowa Environmental Mesonet. April 7, 2022. Retrieved April 7, 2022.
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: Unknown parameter|agency=
ignored (help) - ^ a b "NWS Damage Survey for May 2 and May 4 Tornado Events". Iowa Environmental Mesonet. National Weather Service in Norman, Oklahoma. May 6, 2022. Retrieved May 6, 2022.
- ^ "We assessed damage from the tornado that moved from SW of Cromwell to NW of Okemah yesterday, and found EF-1 damage associated with it. It was very large as it approached/crossed I-40. We will continue our damage surveys for the area today. More details late this evening". Twitter. National Weather Service Forecast Office in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Retrieved 6 May 2022.
- ^ a b "...NWS Damage Survey for 12/14/22 Tornado Event...Update". Iowa Environmental Mesonet. National Weather Service. Retrieved 29 December 2022.
- ^ a b "NWS Damage Survey for 06/28/2023 Kimball County Tornado Event". Iowa Environmental Mesonet. National Weather Service. 29 June 2023. Retrieved 29 June 2023.
- ^ "NWS Damage Survey for 04/30/24 Tornado Event - Update #2". National Weather Service Norman, Oklahoma. 2 May 2024. Retrieved 16 June 2024.
- ^ "Rare 'backward-spinning' tornado among twisters wreaking havoc in Oklahoma Tuesday". Fox Weather. 1 May 2024. Retrieved 16 June 2024.
- ^ a b "NWS Damage Survey for May 25th Tornado Event - Update # 2". National Weather Service Fort Worth, Texas. 27 May 2024. Retrieved 22 June 2024.
External links
[edit]- Satellite tornado (by Roger Edwards)
- Lemon, Leslie R.; A. Stan-Sion; C. Soci; E. Cordoneanu (Jul–Sep 2003). "A strong, long-track, Romanian tornado". Atmos. Res. 67–68: 391–416. Bibcode:2003AtmRe..67..391L. doi:10.1016/S0169-8095(03)00063-2.