NSSL scientist Kurt Hondl represented NOAA research in the “Tornadoes 101” presentation on Capitol Hill Friday June 5, 2008.

Tornadoes 101 was structured to educate legislators and staff about current tornado numbers this season, tornado climatology and current research towards improving tornado forecasts and warnings. The event was in response to the active tornado season this spring that has increased awareness with the public.

Hondl’s presentation included historical highlights of tornado research, how research has increased our understanding of tornadoes, the development of severe weather detection algorithms, and the exploration of new radar technologies to identify tornadoes. A focus was phased array radar technology with the potential to increase tornado warning lead times from the current 14 minutes to more than 20 minutes.