• 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
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The Science of Storm Chasing · Storm Chasing Vehicles 1999-present 1996-1999 2003-2004 D2 (2011-present) D3 (2013) D1 (2009-present) Mythbustersaircraft test: Play May 3, 1999 storm
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Transcript
• 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
• 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
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
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
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