4 May 2011
Amazing Image of Rotating Storm Paths from NSSL
Posted by Dan Satterfield
This image is from the Nat. Severe Storms Lab. in Norman, OK. The yellow lines show the tracks of rotation picked up on the network of NOAA NEXRAD Doppler radars. Red is intense rotation. Click image for much larger version.
This has to be the most amazing image (I’ve yet seen) of the super swarm of tornadoes across the SE USA last Wednesday. Doppler radars are very valuable for severe storm forecasting because they can sense rotation in a storm and this allows for advanced warnings of tornadoes. These radars were not available in 1974, but in 2011 they allowed forecasters to give an average of 24 minutes warning in advance of the tornadoes.
The long lines are the tracks of the rotating supercells, and where you see red, that is the intense rotation where tornadoes likely were on the ground. As a forecaster, this image tells the real story of what is now the greatest swarm of tornadoes in a two-day period ever recorded in American history.
Dan Satterfield has worked as an on air meteorologist for 32 years in Oklahoma, Florida and Alabama. Forecasting weather is Dan's job, but all of Earth Science is his passion. This journal is where Dan writes about things he has too little time for on air. Dan blogs about peer-reviewed Earth science for Junior High level audiences and up.
Thank you for sharing this really interesting picture. It is amazing to study such a detailed map with last Wed’s storms so clearly seen in this over-view.
The track of potential tornadoes was very predictable. Stirs hit North Huntsville all day long and never shifted to south Huntsville. There was easily way more then 24′ notice. It was very easy to see from radar that the storms were hitting harvest/Monrovia just with a casual observation of weather patterns that day on my phone. A computer program could do much better.so many lives would gave been saved had we used this simple tracking technique and incorporated into public warnings.
Thanks for this picture. It is truly amazing that we are still here. I was here in 74 and that was another terrifying night.
Those lines are chemtrails!
Oh, please don;t get those kooks started at me again! 😉
If the red areas represent rotation and possible tornados on the ground, does that mean that Florence and the Shoals area was ‘covered up’ with rotation but nothing touched down? I see Lauderdale County covered up with red rotation.
Yes and no, there was rotation but this is an experimental product and there may be artifacts affecting that area. I had noticed it as well.