Southwest Florida Warm Season Tornado Development

Charles H. Paxton; Jennifer Collins; Richard J. Davis; Nicholas M. Petro; Alicia Williams

Southwest Florida Warm Season Tornado Development

Charles H. Paxton, Jennifer Collins, Richard J. Davis, Nicholas M. Petro, Alicia Williams

School of Geosciences

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

Predicting and warning for tornadoes developing near the complex coastline of urban Lee and Charlotte counties in Southwest Florida is often a challenge. The closest NWS radar is 130-180 km to the northwest. Four warm season cases examined from coastal southwest Florida showed striking similarities in tornado development. Southeast flow and Gulf Coast sea breeze development interacted with local topography to create cyclonic mesocirculations. These circulations led to more predictable boundary collisions and enhanced convection with strong updrafts capable of supporting brief tornadoes. Ambient flow and the degree of instability were important factors in the timing of various interactions leading to tornado development. The results of this study should help forecasters identify the patterns conducive to southwest Florida tornado development.

Original language	American English
Journal	The Symposium on Urban High Impact Weather, American Meteorological Society
State	Published - Jan 13 2009

Disciplines

Earth Sciences

Access to Document

https://ams.confex.com/ams/89annual/techprogram/paper_148536.htm

Cite this

@article{862b669de0cd422aadbb650a554ac73c,

title = "Southwest Florida Warm Season Tornado Development",

abstract = " Predicting and warning for tornadoes developing near the complex coastline of urban Lee and Charlotte counties in Southwest Florida is often a challenge. The closest NWS radar is 130-180 km to the northwest. Four warm season cases examined from coastal southwest Florida showed striking similarities in tornado development. Southeast flow and Gulf Coast sea breeze development interacted with local topography to create cyclonic mesocirculations. These circulations led to more predictable boundary collisions and enhanced convection with strong updrafts capable of supporting brief tornadoes. Ambient flow and the degree of instability were important factors in the timing of various interactions leading to tornado development. The results of this study should help forecasters identify the patterns conducive to southwest Florida tornado development.",

author = "Paxton, {Charles H.} and Jennifer Collins and Davis, {Richard J.} and Petro, {Nicholas M.} and Alicia Williams",

year = "2009",

month = jan,

day = "13",

language = "American English",

journal = "The Symposium on Urban High Impact Weather, American Meteorological Society",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - Southwest Florida Warm Season Tornado Development

AU - Paxton, Charles H.

AU - Collins, Jennifer

AU - Davis, Richard J.

AU - Petro, Nicholas M.

AU - Williams, Alicia

PY - 2009/1/13

Y1 - 2009/1/13

N2 - Predicting and warning for tornadoes developing near the complex coastline of urban Lee and Charlotte counties in Southwest Florida is often a challenge. The closest NWS radar is 130-180 km to the northwest. Four warm season cases examined from coastal southwest Florida showed striking similarities in tornado development. Southeast flow and Gulf Coast sea breeze development interacted with local topography to create cyclonic mesocirculations. These circulations led to more predictable boundary collisions and enhanced convection with strong updrafts capable of supporting brief tornadoes. Ambient flow and the degree of instability were important factors in the timing of various interactions leading to tornado development. The results of this study should help forecasters identify the patterns conducive to southwest Florida tornado development.

AB - Predicting and warning for tornadoes developing near the complex coastline of urban Lee and Charlotte counties in Southwest Florida is often a challenge. The closest NWS radar is 130-180 km to the northwest. Four warm season cases examined from coastal southwest Florida showed striking similarities in tornado development. Southeast flow and Gulf Coast sea breeze development interacted with local topography to create cyclonic mesocirculations. These circulations led to more predictable boundary collisions and enhanced convection with strong updrafts capable of supporting brief tornadoes. Ambient flow and the degree of instability were important factors in the timing of various interactions leading to tornado development. The results of this study should help forecasters identify the patterns conducive to southwest Florida tornado development.

UR - https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/geo_facpub/1378

UR - https://ams.confex.com/ams/89annual/techprogram/paper_148536.htm

M3 - Article

JO - The Symposium on Urban High Impact Weather, American Meteorological Society

JF - The Symposium on Urban High Impact Weather, American Meteorological Society

ER -

Southwest Florida Warm Season Tornado Development

Abstract

Disciplines

Access to Document

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