Barber Pole

Barber Pole - [Slang], a thunderstorm updraft with a visual appearance including cloud striations that are curved in a manner similar to the stripes of a barber pole.

BARBER POLE - A corkscrew pattern on a rotating supercell updraft tower. Sometimes this is called a CORKSCREW.

Grooves or channels in cloud formations, arranged parallel to the flow of air and therefore depicting the airflow relative to the parent cloud. Striations often reveal the presence of rotation, as in the barber pole or "corkscrew" effect often ...

Often used to describe cloud formations which appear to be shaped by a smooth flow of air traveling in parallel layers or sheets.
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Browse Related Terms: ACCAS, Barber Pole, ...

supercell as it has a fairly large and intense radar echo (VIP 5), including a pendant. In this westward view, we note that the wall cloud was on the north side of the rain-free base, with spectacular rotating bands arranged much like barber pole ...

Striations often reveal the presence of rotation, as in the barber pole or "corkscrew" effect often observed with the rotating updraft of a Low Precipitation (LP) storm.

See also: Supercell, Cloud, Radar, Barber, Storm