Supercell storm An enormous severe thunderstorm whose updrafts and downdrafts are nearly in balance, allowing it to maintain itself for several hours. It can produce large hail and tornadoes.
Supercell storms come in different shapes and sizes, as observed on radar and by the human eye. Some are very prolific precipitation producers, whereas others produce very little precipitation that reaches the ground.
Photograph by: Moller ...
Supercell (or Supercell Storm) - a violent thunderstorm which can produce hail and large tornadoes and containing updrafts and downdrafts that are nearly in balance, allowing it to maintain itself for several hours ...
Cells in ordinary convective storms last from 20 to 30 min, but often form longer-lasting multicell convective storms. Cells in supercell storms are more steady and last considerably longer. See also thunderstorm cell.
This index, also called EHI, is simply the helicity multiplied by the CAPE and the result divided by 160,000. An EHI of more than 2.0 presents the possibility of supercell storms. An EHI of more that 4.0 presents a risk for significant tornadoes.
excess of 100 miles per hour in some communities. Residents reported seeing tornadoes along the damage path, although most of the damage was of a straight-line nature. It is thought that gustnadoes formed in the downburst from this supercell storm.
Once the supercell storm develops, the best analogy for thinking about how the tornado forms is to think of a fugure skater doing a spin. The skater starts with their arms out, and is rotating rather slowly.
 See also: Supercell, Storm, Updraft, Tornado, Cloud
|
