• Hurricanes Harvey and Irma• Storm chasing goals and
motivations• Dominator storm chasing vehicles• Storm chasing field research• New tornado/hurricane probe• Video from inside a tornado• New 2017 tornado footage• Suction vortices
Video
The Science
of
Storm Chasing
2012 DEN Summer InstituteJuly 21-25; Missoula, MT
Extreme Storm Chasing
Discovery 2008 Season Trailer: Play
Storm Chasing Vehicles 1999-present
1996-1999 2003-2004
D2 (2011-present) D3 (2013) D1 (2009-present)Mythbusters aircraft test: Play
May 3, 1999 storm chase: Play
2018 Science Mission
Suction Vortices!
• Form near the ground
• As small as a few
meters in diameter
• Up to 5 simultaneous
• Friction inducedFiedler (2009)
• Wind speed 2 to 4
times parent vortex
• 500-600 mph???
Suction vortex video: Play
Fiedler (2009)
Storm Chasing Motivations1. Storm reporting
– HUGE Social media and mobile applications– Traditional Cell phone and radio communication– Coverage for Accuweather
2. Disaster response– Storm chase ends if damage is encountered– Emergency response and first aid training is critical
3. Data Collection– Measuring wind speed/direction, pressure, temperature
inside tornadoes, hurricane eye walls – Measure horizontal and vertical winds inside tornadoes
near ground-level– Measure temperature, moisture, and pressure within
the funnel with meteorological parachute probes (air cannons, RC Plane)
Hurricane Harvey• Landfall as category 4 hurricane in Aransas Pass to Rockport to Holiday
Beach, TX• 130 mph maximum sustained winds at landfall• Dropped over 50 inches of rain across parts of East Texas including Houston
area as greatest storm total in recorded U.S. history
2012 DEN Summer InstituteJuly 21-25; Missoula, MT
Extreme Storm Chasing
Hurricane Harvey eye wall, Rockport, TX: Play
Hurricane Harvey Probe Data
Hurricane IrmaHurricane Irma Key West to Key Largo, FL: Play
Hurricane Irma
• Powerful Cape Verde type hurricane• Strongest Atlantic basin hurricane ever recorded (wind) with 185 mph winds• Minimum pressure dropped to 914 mb• Devastated northern Leeward Islands of Barbuda, Anguilla, Saint
Martin/Maarten, British Virgin Islands, Turks and Caicos, northern Cuba, and finally Florida.
• At least 79 fatalities
Helical Suction Vortices ~ Tornado DNA
Fiedler (2008)
The TVN DominatorThe Ultimate Tornado Research Machine
Dominator!
May 22, 2010 Bowdle, SD wedge video: Play
2009 DOMINATOR 1 (D1)Extreme Tornado Research Vehicle
*138.8 mph wind recorded!
June 17, 2009 TVN window blowout: Play
• Hydraulic shell lowering system• Only 16-gauge steel armor• Manual Lexan window-lift system• Vulnerable from tail wind• Single windshield wiper system = fog-up• Roof-mounted Lexan dome for HD camera
D1 Specs::
2011 DOMINATOR 2
May 24, 2011 Canton, OK EF3 tornado: Play
• Longer/wider shell, lower deployment height• Hydraulic spikes• Automatic Lexan window lift system• Internal air cannon system• Triple wind shield wiper system• Upgraded research equipment
D2 Upgrades::
2013 DOMINATOR 3• 10,500 lb. total weight• Base vehicle Ford F350 • Power Stroke Diesel V8• 780 high carbon steel reinforced with 4 layers
of laminated Kevlar on “gull wing” doors. • Kelderman airbag suspension with computer
regulated ride height system.
D3 Features:::
July 27, 2015 Tipton, MB tornado: Play
Mobile Doppler Radar• Mounted on roof Dominator 1 and 2
• Intended to measure vertical winds inside tornadoes
• Low-power (750 W max power), 2 phased array antennas
• 2.9 cm wavelength, X-band 10.4-10.45 GHz frequencies
• Measured 175 mph updraft in June 17, 2010 EF4 tornado
• Upgrade featured pulse capability to measure wind vs. height
Version 1.0 (2009)
Version 2.0 (2011)
RC Tornado DronesModel rocket & Launcher Quad Copter Drone
RC Vehicle Drone
VIDEO: Rocket deploymentVIDEO: RC plane
Ground-based Tornado Probes
Video: Play
Video: Play
Zorb Probe
Ground-based Probe
June 17, 2010 Tornado Intercept• June 17, 2010 Northern Plains
tornado outbreak• EF4 tornado, 1-mile wide• Sadly, two fatalities were reported
from these tornadoes• ~200 mph updraft measured• Anemometer ripped off by debris!!!
Event Overview
Mobile Radar Data:
Aurora, NE Tornado Intercept
138.8 mph!
Northwesterly wind in west side of
tornado rapidly decreasing as
circulation moves eastward
8 mph minimum wind speed
in the center of the tornado
with rapid reversal in wind
direction
BLUE = Wind Speed
RED = Wind Direction (front of
vehicle pointing at 0 degrees)
facing east on W-E road
Mother’s Day 2015Video: Play
Statistics• 2 mi. N Wray, CO to 10 mi. NNE Wray• Time: 5:51 pm – 6:16 pm MDT• EF rating: EF2• Est. peak winds: 130 mph• Path length: 8 miles• Max width: 440 yards
May 7, 2016; Eastern ColoradoWray, CO tornado from close-range
Raw video: Play
Statistics• E of Ensign, KS to just SW of Dodge City • Time: 6:13 pm – 6:40 pm CDT• EF rating: EF1• Est. peak winds: 100 mph• Path length: 4.8 miles• Max width: 150 yards
May 24, 2016 OutbreakTornado #2
Video 1: Play
GoPro time-lapse: Play
Statistics• Just N of Minneola, KS to NE of Ensign, KS• Time: 5:53 pm – 6:25 pm CDT• EF rating: EF3• Est. peak winds: 136 mph• Path length: 11.94 miles• Max width: 300 yards
May 24, 2016 OutbreakTornado #1
Video 1: Play
April 27, 2011 Tornado OutbreakSoutheast U.S.
• NOAA estimates 211 tornadoes
• 3 EF5 tornadoes
• Most tornadoes in 24-hour period in U.S. history
• Next most was 148 on April 3-4, 1974
• 309 fatalities
• Hackleburg (78) and Tuscaloosa (61) tornadoes deadliest since 1955 to date
Philadelphia EF5: Play
South Dakota Tornado FestJune 24, 2003
• Over 50 tornadoes reported on this day!
• ½ mile wide F4 wedge tornado
• Three tornadoes on the ground at the same time with this supercell.
• Tornado moved at 15 mph, allowing for incredible photo opportunities.
• The town of Manchester, SD sustained a direct hit, but thankfully no fatalities occurred.
VIDEO: Play
DAMAGING HAIL!VIDEO: Hail
Manitoba, Canada Wedge! June 23, 2007
• Violent F3-F4 tornado
• Bright white tornado from unique sun angle
• Storm chase vehicle: Hyundai Accent with a max speed of 60 mph!
• Softball size hail cracked the wind shield after tornado passed.
• Canada is new territory for storm chasers (season: Late June through early Aug)
VIDEO: Canada
DOMINATE the Storm!
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