Using In-situ Observations to Compare Environmental Characteristics between Different Tornado Events in the Southeast

An extensive number of point soundings were collected over many years during the VORTEX-SE (Verification of the Origins of Rotation in Tornadoes Experiment-Southeast), meso18-19, and PERiLS (Propagation, Evolution, and Rotation in Linear Storms) field campaigns to characterize Southeast severe storm environments. This study will focus on soundings close in time (<90 min) and space (<100 km) to tornadoes to examine relationships between the background environment and various tornado characteristics such as path length, longevity, and cyclic tornado production. Our current database contains 282 tornado events between all the aforementioned field campaigns. The storm mode of the parent cell at the time of the tornado as well as any evolution in mode will also be analyzed since QLCSs and hybrid storm modes are common in the Southeast. Furthermore, for storm objects with multiple mid-level mesocyclones, each mesocyclone will be tracked to facilitate more-detailed analysis of cyclic mesocyclone and tornado behavior in different environments. Particular characteristics of interest include storm-relative helicity and winds over various layers, moisture variables such as the lifted condensation level and low-level humidity, and low-level buoyancy. While these environmental characteristics have been compared across different tornadoes in the Great Plains, less is known about how they may vary within environments more common in the Southeast (e.g., high-shear, low-CAPE, with ample surface moisture). The extensive sounding database analyzed here provides a unique opportunity to address this knowledge gap, providing a more complete understanding of storm-environment relationships in the Southeast and improved tornado predictability across different storm modes.