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| colspan="6" style=" border-bottom: 1px solid black;|A [[Doppler on Wheels]] recorded winds between {{convert|257|-|336|mph|km/h|abbr=on}} at or less than {{convert|100|m|ft}} above the radar level in a suction vortex inside the tornado.<ref name="2024RadarPaper"/> This was later revised by the Doppler on Wheels team to {{convert|291|-|336|mph|km/h|abbr=on}}.<ref name="Dow2024"/> In 2015, [[Howard Bluestein]], along with other researchers, reported that the radar did capture at least a moment of winds of {{convert|313|mph|km/h}}.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Bluestein |first=Howard B. |last2=Snyder |first2=Jeffrey C. |last3=Houser |first3=Jana B. |date=2015-06-01 |title=A Multiscale Overview of the El Reno, Oklahoma, Tornadic Supercell of 31 May 2013 |url=https://journals.ametsoc.org/view/journals/wefo/30/3/waf-d-14-00152_1.xml |journal=Weather and Forecasting |language=EN |volume=30 |issue=3 |pages=525–552 |doi=10.1175/WAF-D-14-00152.1 |issn=1520-0434}}</ref>
| colspan="6" style=" border-bottom: 1px solid black;|A [[Doppler on Wheels]] recorded winds between {{convert|257|-|336|mph|km/h|abbr=on}} at or less than {{convert|100|m|ft}} above the radar level in a suction vortex inside the tornado.<ref name="2024RadarPaper"/> This was later revised by the Doppler on Wheels team to {{convert|291|-|336|mph|km/h|abbr=on}}.<ref name="Dow2024"/> In 2015, [[Howard Bluestein]], along with other researchers, reported that the radar did capture at least a moment of winds of {{convert|313|mph|km/h}}.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Bluestein |first=Howard B. |last2=Snyder |first2=Jeffrey C. |last3=Houser |first3=Jana B. |date=2015-06-01 |title=A Multiscale Overview of the El Reno, Oklahoma, Tornadic Supercell of 31 May 2013 |url=https://journals.ametsoc.org/view/journals/wefo/30/3/waf-d-14-00152_1.xml |journal=Weather and Forecasting |language=EN |volume=30 |issue=3 |pages=525–552 |doi=10.1175/WAF-D-14-00152.1 |issn=1520-0434}}</ref>
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! style="background-color:#{{#invoke:Storm categories|color|cat3}}" |EF3
| {{dts|April 26, 2024}}
| [[Tornado outbreak of April 26–28, 2024#Minden–Tennant–Harlan–Defiance, Iowa|Harlan, Iowa]]
| {{N/A}}<!--{{convert|309|mph|km/h|abbr=on}}-->
| {{N/A}}<!--{{convert|318|mph|km/h|abbr=on}}-->
| {{convert|224|mph|km/h|abbr=on}}
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| colspan="6" style=" border-bottom: 1px solid black;|A [[Doppler on Wheels]] recorded a wind gust of {{convert|224|mph|km/h|abbr=on}} about {{convert|258|m|ft|abbr=on}} above the radar level.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Taylor |first1=Cat |title=Doppler on Wheels BEST project surveyed Friday’s tornadoes, aims to improve weather warnings |url=https://www.ktiv.com/2024/04/30/doppler-wheels-best-project-surveyed-fridays-tornadoes-aims-improve-weather-warnings/ |website=[[KTIV]] |publisher=[[NBC]] and [[The CW Plus]] |access-date=25 June 2024 |language=en |date=30 April 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Preliminary Wind Summary Measurements and Analysis from Harlan, IA tornado on Friday (26 April 2024). |url=https://twitter.com/DOWFacility/status/1784622447116869742 |website=[[Twitter|𝕏]] (Formerly Twitter) |publisher=[[Doppler on Wheels]] |access-date=28 April 2024 |location=[[University of Illinois]] |format=Post on [[Twitter|𝕏]] |date=28 April 2024 |quote=Winds of ~224 mph and diameter of max winds of ~2966 ft. Observations were taken as part of the @NSF -sponsored #BEST project led by @karen_kosiba and @JoshuaWurman}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Kosiba |first1=Karen |title=@DOWFacility research RE many peoples' questions |url=https://twitter.com/karen_kosiba/status/1784644093127098825 |website=[[Twitter|𝕏]] (Formerly Twitter) |publisher=@karen_kosiba |access-date=29 April 2024 |format=Post on [[Twitter|𝕏]] |date=28 April 2024 |quote=These data: Height ~258 m ARL (see 2) Gate 12m/beam 122m, gusts ~1sec}}</ref>
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! style="background-color:#{{#invoke:Storm categories|color|cat4}}" |EF4
! style="background-color:#{{#invoke:Storm categories|color|cat4}}" |EF4

Revision as of 02:41, 25 June 2024

This is a list of tornadoes which have been observed by mobile radars.

Background

See also: Doppler on Wheels, RaXPol, and SMART-R

List

See also: Tornado records § Highest winds observed in a tornado

Several tornadoes throughout the last few decades have been observed by various mobile radars. However, only the most notable ones are used for academic research and subsequently published.[1] This is a list of known tornadoes which were observed by mobile radars.

This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by adding missing items with reliable sources.
Official rating Date Location Minimum wind speed Maximum wind speed Highest confirmed wind speed
F4 April 26, 1991 Ceres, Oklahoma 268 mph (431 km/h) 280 mph (450 km/h) 280 mph (450 km/h)
A University of Oklahoma chase team headed by Howard Bluestein utilized mobile doppler weather radar to analyze the tornado. The radar measured peak winds of 120–125 m/s (270–280 mph; 430–450 km/h) between 150–190 m (490–620 ft) above the surface.[1] At the time, this represented the strongest winds ever measured by radar, including the first measurements of F5 intensity winds.[2][3]
F4 May 30, 1998 Spencer, South Dakota 234 mph (377 km/h) 264 mph (425 km/h) 266 mph (428 km/h)
A Doppler on Wheels recorded winds of 264 mph (425 km/h) "well below" 50 metres (160 ft) above the ground level, "perhaps as low as 5–10 metres (16–33 ft) above the radar level".[4][1] The Doppler on Wheels also recorded a confirmed five-second wind speed average of 112 m/s (250 mph; 400 km/h).[4]
F4 May 3, 1999 Mulhall, Oklahoma 246 mph (396 km/h) 299 mph (481 km/h) 257 mph (414 km/h)
A Doppler on Wheels documented the largest-ever-observed core flow circulation with a distance of 1,600 m (5,200 ft) between peak velocities on either side of the tornado, and a roughly 7 km (4.3 mi) width of peak wind gusts exceeding 43 m/s (96 mph), making the Mulhall tornado the largest tornado ever measured quantitatively.[5] The DOW measured a complex multi-vortex structure,[6] with several vortices containing winds of up to 115 m/s (260 mph) rotating around the tornado. The 3D structure of the tornado has been analyzed in a 2005 article in the Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences by Wen-Chau Lee and Joshua Wurman.[7] In 2024, it was published that the radar did measured winds of approximately 257 mph (414 km/h) approximately 30 m (98 ft) above the radar level.[1]
F5 May 3, 1999 Bridge Creek, Oklahoma 281 mph (452 km/h) 321 mph (517 km/h) 321 mph (517 km/h)
In 2007, Joshua Wurman along with other researchers, published that a Doppler on Wheels recorded 135 m/s (300 mph; 490 km/h) approximately 32 metres (105 ft) above the radar level.[8][1] In 2021, Wurman along with other researchers, revised the data using improved techniques and published that the Doppler on Wheels actually recorded 321 miles per hour (517 km/h) in the tornado.[9][10]
EF5 May 24, 2011 El Reno, Oklahoma 289 mph (465 km/h) 295.5 mph (475.6 km/h) 296 mph (476 km/h)
RaXPol recorded a wind gust of 124.8 m/s (279 mph; 449 km/h) about 200–230 feet (60–70 m) above the radar level.[11] However, this data was later revised to be 132.1 m/s (295 mph; 476 km/h) at 72 ft (22 m) above the radar level.[12][1]
EF3 May 31, 2013 El Reno, Oklahoma 291 mph (468 km/h) 336 mph (541 km/h) 313 mph (504 km/h)
A Doppler on Wheels recorded winds between 257–336 mph (414–541 km/h) at or less than 100 metres (330 ft) above the radar level in a suction vortex inside the tornado.[1] This was later revised by the Doppler on Wheels team to 291–336 mph (468–541 km/h).[10] In 2015, Howard Bluestein, along with other researchers, reported that the radar did capture at least a moment of winds of 313 miles per hour (504 km/h).[13]
EF3 April 26, 2024 Harlan, Iowa — — 224 mph (360 km/h)
A Doppler on Wheels recorded a wind gust of 224 mph (360 km/h) about 258 m (846 ft) above the radar level.[14][15][16]
EF4 May 21, 2024 Greenfield, Iowa 309 mph (497 km/h) 318 mph (512 km/h) 271 mph (436 km/h)
A Doppler on Wheels recorded winds of 263–271 mph (423–436 km/h) approximately 30–50 m (98–164 ft; 30–50 m) above the radar level. Following calculations to more accurately figuring out the winds, it was published that they recorded winds of 309–318 mph (497–512 km/h).[10]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Lyza, Anthony W.; Flournoy, Matthew D.; Alford, A. Addison (19 March 2024). "Comparison of Tornado Damage Characteristics to Low-Altitude WSR-88D Radar Observations and Implications for Tornado Intensity Estimation". Monthly Weather Review. -1 (aop). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and University of Oklahoma via the American Meteorological Society. doi:10.1175/MWR-D-23-0242.1. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
  2. ^ Howard Bluestein; James Ladue; Herbert Stein; Douglas Speheger; Wesley Unruh (August 1, 1993). "Doppler Radar Wind Spectra of Supercell Tornadoes". Monthly Weather Review. 121 (8): 2, 200–2, 222. Retrieved April 25, 2022.
  3. ^ Grazulis, Thomas P. (2001a). The Tornado: Nature's Ultimate Windstorm. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press. p. 109. ISBN 978-0-8061-3538-0.
  4. ^ a b Wurman, Joshua; Alexander, Curtis R. (1 January 2005). "The 30 May 1998 Spencer, South Dakota, Storm. Part II: Comparison of Observed Damage and Radar-Derived Winds in the Tornadoes". Monthly Weather Review. 133 (1): 97–119. doi:10.1175/MWR-2856.1. Retrieved 25 June 2024.
  5. ^ Wurman, Joshua; C. Alexander; P. Robinson; Y. Richardson (January 2007). "Low-Level Winds in Tornadoes and Potential Catastrophic Tornado Impacts in Urban Areas". Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society. 88 (1). American Meteorological Society: 31–46. Bibcode:2007BAMS...88...31W. doi:10.1175/BAMS-88-1-31.
  6. ^ Wurman, Joshua (June 2002). "The Multiple-Vortex Structure of a Tornado". Weather Forecast. 17 (3): 473–505. Bibcode:2002WtFor..17..473W. doi:10.1175/1520-0434(2002)017<0473:TMVSOA>2.0.CO;2. ISSN 1520-0434.
  7. ^ Lee, Wen-Chau; J. Wurman (July 2005). "Diagnosed Three-Dimensional Axisymmetric Structure of the Mulhall Tornado on 3 May 1999". J. Atmos. Sci. 62 (7): 2373–93. Bibcode:2005JAtS...62.2373L. doi:10.1175/JAS3489.1.
  8. ^ Wurman, Joshua; Alexander, Curtis; Robinson, Paul; Richardson, Yvette (2007). "Low-Level Winds in Tornadoes and Potential Catastrophic Tornado Impacts in Urban Areas". Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society. 88 (1): 31–46. Bibcode:2007BAMS...88...31W. doi:10.1175/BAMS-88-1-31.
  9. ^ Wurman, Joshua; Kosiba, Karen; Pereira, Brian; Robinson, Paul; Frambach, Andrew; Gilliland, Alycia; White, Trevor; Aikins, Josh; Trapp, Robert J.; Nesbitt, Stephen; Hanshaw, Maiana N.; Lutz, Jon (August 2021). "The Flexible Array of Radars and Mesonets (FARM)". Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society. 102 (8): E1499 – E1525. doi:10.1175/BAMS-D-20-0285.1. Retrieved 25 June 2024.
  10. ^ a b c "Flexible Array of Radars and Mesonets (FARM) statement concerning preliminary peak wind speed determinations based on Doppler On Wheels (DOW) data obtained in the Greenfield, Iowa tornado of 21 May 2024" (PDF). Champaign–Urbana metropolitan area: University of Illinois. 23 June 2024. Archived (PDF) from the original on 24 June 2024. Retrieved 24 June 2024.
  11. ^ Houser, Jana Lesak; Bluestein, Howard B.; Snyder, Jeffrey C. (2016-11-01). "A Finescale Radar Examination of the Tornadic Debris Signature and Weak-Echo Reflectivity Band Associated with a Large, Violent Tornado". Monthly Weather Review. 144 (11): 4101–4130. doi:10.1175/MWR-D-15-0408.1. ISSN 1520-0493.
  12. ^ Snyder, Jeffrey C.; Bluestein, Howard B. (2014-08-01). "Some Considerations for the Use of High-Resolution Mobile Radar Data in Tornado Intensity Determination". Weather and Forecasting. 29 (4): 799–827. doi:10.1175/WAF-D-14-00026.1. ISSN 1520-0434.
  13. ^ Bluestein, Howard B.; Snyder, Jeffrey C.; Houser, Jana B. (2015-06-01). "A Multiscale Overview of the El Reno, Oklahoma, Tornadic Supercell of 31 May 2013". Weather and Forecasting. 30 (3): 525–552. doi:10.1175/WAF-D-14-00152.1. ISSN 1520-0434.
  14. ^ Taylor, Cat (30 April 2024). "Doppler on Wheels BEST project surveyed Friday's tornadoes, aims to improve weather warnings". KTIV. NBC and The CW Plus. Retrieved 25 June 2024.
  15. ^ "Preliminary Wind Summary Measurements and Analysis from Harlan, IA tornado on Friday (26 April 2024)" (Post on 𝕏). 𝕏 (Formerly Twitter). University of Illinois: Doppler on Wheels. 28 April 2024. Retrieved 28 April 2024. Winds of ~224 mph and diameter of max winds of ~2966 ft. Observations were taken as part of the @NSF -sponsored #BEST project led by @karen_kosiba and @JoshuaWurman
  16. ^ Kosiba, Karen (28 April 2024). "@DOWFacility research RE many peoples' questions" (Post on 𝕏). 𝕏 (Formerly Twitter). @karen_kosiba. Retrieved 29 April 2024. These data: Height ~258 m ARL (see 2) Gate 12m/beam 122m, gusts ~1sec
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