Tracking a twister

By Phil Geib and Adam Zoll | TRIBUNE GRAPHICS

Predicting tornadoes has long been an inexact science — experts say 70 percent of tornado warnings are false alarms. But over the next
several weeks a team of experts will travel throughout the Midwest and Plains states in an unprecedented effort to learn more about
how these storms form and how they can better be predicted.

The Vortex project

What the name means: Objective: By surrounding supercell Study area Most favorable area for storm intercepts U.S. TORNADOES
Verification of the Origins storms and emerging tornadoes and Monthly average for 2007-09
of Rotation in Tornadoes recording conditions using mobile 300
Experiment radar, weather balloons and other
tools, scientists hope to answer the 200
Size: 120 scientists and following questions:
crew using more than 40 100
vehicles are expected to ■ How, when and why do tornadoes
take part. form?
J F M A M J J A S O N D
■ Why are some tornadoes violent
Cost: $11.9 million, funded
and long-lasting while others are U.S. TORNADO DEATHS
by the National Science
weak and short-lived?
Foundation and National
Oceanic and Atmospheric ■ What is the structure of 126
Administration tornadoes?
81
■ How strong are winds near the
Project duration:
ground and how do they cause
First phase: May 10-
damage? 21 16*
June 13, 2009
Current phase: May 1- ■ How can tornado forecasting be Tornado sites
2007 ’08 ’09 ’10
June 15 improved? reported in 2009
* As of Wednesday

Recording a tornado
Team leaders for the project monitor regional weather reports
before deciding which locations may be ripe for tornado
formation. Last year teams drove 12,000 miles in five weeks
chasing storms.

STICKNETS (24)
Instruments
mounted to
tripods to collect
various data as
the storm
approaches,
including:
■ Wind speed MESONET (12)
■ Barometric
Twelve-vehicle team drives in
pressure
north-south and east-west patterns
■ Precipitation
around the storm. Trucks are
■ Temperature
mounted with sensors to record the
■ Relative
following:
humidity
■ Time and position of vehicle
via GPS radar
Sticknet team sets them up 45 ■ Air temperature and pressure
minutes ahead of the storm in one or ■ Relative humidity
two rows, with sticknets about a half ■ Wind direction and speed
mile apart.

TORNADO PODS (18)

Cluster of
instruments that
measure:
■ Wind speed
and direction
■ Precipitation
th
a
p

■ Water drop
o
d

2 MILES
a

size, distribution
rn
To

and velocity

Tornado pod
team quickly
sets them up
about 1 mile
ahead of the
storm in one or
1-2 miles away two rows with
RADAR (10) from tornado pods about 100
yards apart. The more pods hit, the
better the results.

WEATHER BALLOONS
(10-20)
5-8 miles away
Four teams launch
hydrogen-filled bal-
Ten radar-mounted trucks — loons with instruments
including three 13-ton Doppler On that relay information
Wheels trucks (above) — operate to team vehicles. The
at various distances from the balloons are tracked by
storm and are synchronized and radar and record:
coordinated to produce three- ■ Temperature
dimensional maps. Data collected ■ Relative humidity
includes: ■ Wind
■ Wind speed and direction Balloons are deployed at
■ Precipitation (rain and hail) various points around
15 miles away the storm.

Radiosonde
(measuring device)

DAMAGE SURVEY AND PHOTOGRAMMETRY

A pair of teams in cars trails the storm and UNMANNED AERIAL SYSTEM (UAS)
photographs the following: A remote-controlled plane is available for
■ Cloud formations to help produce maps use in parts of the study area. It has a
showing patterns on the backside of tornado 6-foot wingspan, is tethered to a
systems. mobile mesonet vehicle and has
Doppler image of June 5, 2009, tornado ■ Ground-level damage from the storm. instruments to collect readings
in Wyoming taken by Vortex2 Chartered aircraft also may be used. from around the storm.

How data will be used

In a tornadic storm, colder, By measuring temperature, precipitation, wind and humidity Scientists will be paying particular attention to a feature called
denser air creates a down- within and around a storm, scientists can better understand the rear flank downdraft and its role in spawning twisters.
draft while warmer air rises. how different pockets of air interact to form a tornado.

SOURCES: Josh Wurman, Vortex2 radar team leader; NOAA MESONET, RADAR AND TORNADO POD PHOTOS COURTESY OF JOSH WURMAN;
UAS PHOTO COURTESY SCOTTMILLERMODELS.COM

Skilling storm chase More talk Tomorrow

WGN’s chief meteorologist Tom Skilling is out chasing a storm. More Weather Week talk with In the Chicago Tribune and on
Watch Skilling’s live reports from the field and find out about Greg Jarrett and his team on WGN-TV: The art and science
the latest weather technology tonight on WGN News at 9. WGN Radio 720, 5 - 9 a.m. of weather prediction.