16.7
The Hoisington Kansas Tornado, 2001: Examining a Possible Meso-scale Tropopause Fold in Near Proximity to a Tornadic Suercell
PAPER WITHDRAWN
Jim Johnson, NOAA/NWS, Dodge City, KS, Dodge City, KS; and E. Rasmussen, A. Pietrycha, and J. Finch
On April 21st, 2001 a supercell thunderstorm produced a tornado which moved through the town of Hoisington, KS during the evening hours. Investigation of the observed data for this event indicated a possible contributor to the storm environment may have been a meso-scale stratospheric intrusion which nearly escaped measurement by the existing synoptic scale sounding and wind profiler network. The 0000 UTC Dodge City upper air sounding which ascended just upstream of the supercell and in its immediate wake exhibited a substantial lowering of the tropopause and a distinct layer of weakened and backed wind flow at that level. We suggest that this may show a narrow ribbon of stratospheric air injected into the troposphere in close proximity to the upstream side of the storm. GOES water vapor imagery of the event also suggests this finding. Some discussion is offered as to the possible significance of this feature and its relation to the synoptic scale and meso-scale environment of the storm.
Session 16, Tornado and Severe Storms Environments
Friday, 16 August 2002, 8:00 AM-9:59 AM
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