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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, creating a gust front that can cause severe damage a good 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.
52:
20:
92:. There are various ways this may come about and thus various forms and sub-forms of tornadoes. Although each tornado is unique, most kinds of tornadoes go through a life cycle of formation, maturation, and dissipation. The process by which a tornado dissipates or decays, occasionally conjured as tornadolysis, is of particular interest for study as is tornadogenesis, longevity, and
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Many envision a top-down process in which a mid-level mesocyclone first forms and couples with a low-level mesocyclone or tornadocyclone, with a vortex then forming below the cloud base and becoming a concentrated vortex due to convergence upon reaching the surface. However, observation history and
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Landspouts are tornadoes that do not form from mesocyclones. They are similar in appearance and structure to fair-weather waterspouts, except that they form over land instead of water. They are thought to form similarly to weaker waterspouts in that they form during the growth stage of convective
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bands, lines of frictional convergence from nearby landmasses, or surface troughs. Waterspouts normally develop as their parent clouds are in the process of development. It is theorized that they spin upward as they move up the surface boundary from the horizontal shear near the surface, and then
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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 this cool air and the warm air in the updraft causes a rotating wall cloud to form. The RFD also focuses the mesocyclone's base, causing it to siphon air
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Waterspouts are defined as tornadoes over water. However, while some waterspouts are supercellular (also known as "tornadic waterspouts"), forming in a process similar to that of their land-based counterparts, most are much weaker and caused by different processes of atmospheric dynamics. They
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Mesovortices or mini-swirls within intense tropical cyclones, particularly within eyewalls, may lead to tornadoes. Embedded supercells may produce mesocyclonic tornadoes in the right front quadrant of the cyclone, or in certain situations within its outer rainbands.
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Most fire or volcanic eruption–induced whirlwinds are not tornadic vortices. However, on rare occasion, circulations with large wildfires, conflagrations, or ejecta do reach an ambient cloud base. In extremely rare cases,
35:, which continues descending simultaneously as a circulation builds near the surface, kicking up dust and other debris. Finally, the visible funnel extends to the ground, and the tornado begins causing major damage.
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stretch upward to the cloud once the low level shear vortex aligns with a developing cumulus or thunderstorm. Their parent cloud can be as innocuous as a moderate cumulus, or as significant as a supercell.
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Field studies have shown that in order for a supercell to produce a tornado, the RFD needs to be no more than a few kelvin cooler than the updraft. The
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forms. There are many types of tornadoes, varying in methods of formation. Despite ongoing scientific study and high-profile research projects such as
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more modern research indicates that many tornadoes form first near the surface or simultaneously from the surface to low and mid levels aloft.
120:(RFD). This downdraft accelerates as it approaches the ground, and drags the rotating mesocyclone towards the ground with it. Storm relative
74:, tornadogenesis is a volatile process and the intricacies of many of the mechanisms of tornado formation are still poorly understood.
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a few miles up in the atmosphere. As rainfall in the storm increases, it drags with it an area of quickly descending air known as the
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124:(SRH) has been shown to play a role in tornado development and strength. SRH is horizontal vorticity that is parallel to the
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Ben-Amots N (2016) “Dynamics and thermodynamics of tornado: Rotation effects” Atmospheric
Research, v. 178-179, pp. 320-328
299:"Volatility of Tornadogenesis: An Ensemble of Simulated Nontornadic and Tornadic Supercells in VORTEX2 Environments"
623:
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693:"Tornadogenesis: Our current understanding, forecasting considerations, and questions to guide future research"
84:. Tornado formation is caused by the stretching and aggregating/merging of environmental and/or storm-induced
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of the storm and is tilted upwards when it is taken up by the updraft, thus creating vertical vorticity.
531:"Surface In Situ Observations within the Outflow of Forward-Flank Downdrafts of Supercell Thunderstorms"
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400:"Dissipation Characteristics of Tornadic Vortex Signatures Associated with Long-Duration Tornadoes"
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regions. Mesocyclonic tornadoes may also form from embedded supercells within squall lines.
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tornadoes, which have a recognizable pattern of formation. The cycle begins when a strong
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139:(FFD) also seems to be warmer within tornadic supercells than in non-tornadic supercells.
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A tornado is a violently rotating column of air in contact with the surface and a
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599:"Descending and Nondescending Tornadic Vortex Signatures Detected by WSR-88Ds"
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381:"Tornadogenesis in supercell storms: What We Know and What We Don't Know"
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Simulation and visualization of thunderstorms, tornadoes, and downbursts
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in the United States, a loosely-defined area that is prone to tornadoes.
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Jana, Houser; H. Bluestein; A. Seimon; J. Snyder; K. Thiem (Dec 2018).
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665:"EF-0 Landspout Tornado near Grand Junction, MI, on June 30, 2017"
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858:"Tornadogenesis: Unknowns. What's Left to Learn About Tornadoes?"
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Using the WSR-88D to
Predict East Central Florida Waterspouts.
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tornado. First, the rain-free cloud base lowers as a rotating
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10.1175/1520-0434(1999)014<0625:DANTVS>2.0.CO;2
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Shabbott, Christopher J.; Markowski, Paul M. (2006-05-01).
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10.1175/1520-0469(1997)054<0113:TWAWAD>2.0.CO;2
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in areas where wind comes together (convergence), such as
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Tornadogenesis in
Supercells: The Three Main Ingredients
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580:"Rapid-Scan Mobile Radar Observations of Tornadogenesis"
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Symposium on the
Challenges of Severe Convective Storms
340:"Tornadogenesis with and without a Dynamic Pipe Effect"
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232:(QLCS, quasi-linear convective systems), most often in
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730:(2015). "A review of supercell and tornado dynamics".
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A diagram showing the contributing weather systems to
767:"What We Know and Don't Know About Tornado Formation"
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47:. Note the faint dust swirl beneath the funnel cloud.
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See the dynamics, thermodynamics and energy source.
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228:Tornadoes sometimes form from mesovortices within
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439:Doswell, Moller, Anderson; et al. (2005).
387:. Atlanta, GA: American Meteorological Society.
264:with tornadic mesocyclones have been observed.
639:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosres.2016.03.025
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586:. Washington, DC: American Geophysical Union.
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398:French, Michael M.; D. M. Kingfield (2019).
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23:A sequence of images showing the birth of a
856:; J. Straka; K. Kanak; et al. (2009).
338:Trapp, R. Jeffrey; R. Davies-Jones (1997).
663:National Weather Service (June 30, 2017).
204:clouds by the ingestion and tightening of
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490:CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (
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176:-laden environments with little vertical
803:; Yvette Richardson (July–August 2013).
379:Davies-Jones, Robert (28 January 2006).
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297:Coffer, Brice E.; M. D. Parker (2017).
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510:NOAA National Severe Storms Laboratory
597:Trapp, R. J.; E. D. Mitchell (1999).
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31:. This lowering concentrates into a
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249:Fire whirls and pyro-tornadogenesis
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441:"Advanced Spotters' Field Guide"
16:Process by which a tornado forms
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748:10.1016/j.atmosres.2014.04.007
720:10.1016/j.atmosres.2008.09.015
691:; Y.P. Richardson (Jul 2009).
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88:that tightens into an intense
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832:10.1080/00431672.2013.800413
43:Tornadogenesis occurring in
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874:Tornadogenesis research by
404:J. Appl. Meteorol. Climatol
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279:Convective storm detection
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66:is the process by which a
448:US Department of Commerce
765:; Y. Richardson (2014).
653:Retrieved on 2006-10-25.
425:10.1175/JAMC-D-18-0187.1
104:Classical tornadoes are
805:"How to Make a Tornado"
324:10.1175/MWR-D-17-0152.1
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137:forward flank downdraft
535:Monthly Weather Review
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156:Misoscale meteorology
154:Further information:
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880:Paul Markowski et al
876:Erik Rasmussen et al
734:. 158–159: 274–291.
728:Davies-Jones, Robert
172:normally develop in
118:rear flank downdraft
112:develops a rotating
863:. Rasmussen Systems
824:2013Weawi..66d..12M
783:2014PhT....67i..26M
740:2015AtmRe.158..274D
712:2009AtmRe..93....3M
615:1999WtFor..14..625T
547:2006MWRv..134.1422S
416:2019JApMC..58..317F
356:1997JAtS...54..113T
315:2017MWRv..145.4605C
689:Markowski, Paul M.
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884:Josh Wurman et al
792:10.1063/PT.3.2514
556:10.1175/MWR3131.1
477:External link in
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812:Weatherwise
771:Phys. Today
186:lake effect
161:Waterspouts
114:mesocyclone
899:Categories
867:2012-02-14
732:Atmos. Res
700:Atmos. Res
515:2023-10-19
461:2006-09-20
285:References
255:Fire whirl
213:cumuliform
193:Landspouts
178:wind shear
167:Waterspout
82:cloud base
79:cumuliform
29:wall cloud
840:191649696
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209:vorticity
199:Landspout
94:intensity
86:vorticity
670:20 March
470:cite web
268:See also
174:moisture
122:helicity
910:Tornado
882:, also
820:Bibcode
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311:Bibcode
211:by the
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72:VORTEX
861:(ppt)
849:(NWS)
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808:(PDF)
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561:ISSN
492:link
485:help
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