Publication Date:
1980-06-01
Description:
The University of Oklahoma (OU) Severe Storms Intercept Project—1979 was conducted in conjunction with the spring field program of the National Severe Storms Laboratory (NSSL), Norman, Okla., and the Severe Environmental Storms and Mesoscale Experiment (SESAME ‘79). The purposes of the project were to provide NSSL with ground-based visual observations, in the field, of thunderstorms that were observed simultaneously by Doppler radar; to document and photograph severe-storm phenomena and related damage; and to obtain high-quality movies of tornadic debris clouds. A ground-based intercept crew consisting of four members operated from 1 April 1979 to 15 June 1979. The itineraries of the chase crews were usually determined jointly by the NSSL forecaster and the OU crew on the basis of conventional data from the service “A” and “C” teletypewriters, the National Facsimile Circuit (NAFAX), interpretation of satellite photographs, and data from both a conventional and a Doppler radar. Although the total number of missions was small (11), tornadoes were filmed on 2 chases, and severe events were documented on a total of 6 chases; 2 missions were damage surveys. On only 3 out of 11 missions were no severe storm-related phenomena observed. On 2 May the chase crew obtained spectacular, high-quality, normal-speed movies of the entire history of the multiple-vortex stage of a tornado and associated debris west of Orienta, Okla. Other highlights include normal-speed movies of the tornado in Seymour, Tex. on 10 April, time-lapse movies on 6 June of a storm complex that had a Doppler radar-observed mesocyclone signature, and documentation of the occurrence of “staccato” lightning near Buffalo Springs, Tex., on 20 May. The data collected during this project, along with other types of data gathered simultaneously by others, will lead to a better understanding of the kinematics and dynamics of severe thunderstorms and tornadoes. Furthermore, the photographs will help spotters recognize potentially dangerous storms, and thereby provide more reliable warnings to the public.
Print ISSN:
0003-0007
Electronic ISSN:
1520-0477
Topics:
Geography
,
Physics
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