As Meteorologist Thea Sandmael observed the approaching storm, she noticed a swirling mass of clouds forming a tornado. With only 10 minutes until impact, Sandmael and her team took precautionary measures and evacuated their location, shutting down their radar instruments. This was no ordinary tornado chase for Sandmael, a member of the Cooperative Institute for Severe and High-Impact Weather Research and Operations (CIWRO) in Norman, Oklahoma. On this particular day, they were tracking a unique type of tornado known as a squall line tornado.
Unlike the more common supercell tornadoes, which form in isolated storms, squall line tornadoes develop within long lines of storms called quasi-linear convective systems or squall lines. While generally less intense than supercell tornadoes, squall line tornadoes can still pose significant dangers, according to atmospheric scientist Karen Kosiba from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
One of the challenges with squall line tornadoes is their unpredictability. They often form and dissipate quickly, making them hard to detect with traditional radar systems. These tornadoes tend to occur more frequently during the cooler seasons and at night, catching many off guard due to the unexpected timing.
2024-08-09 12:00:00
Original article from www.sciencenews.org