{"id":6787,"date":"2025-05-07T15:31:52","date_gmt":"2025-05-07T20:31:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/inside.nssl.noaa.gov\/nsslnews\/?p=6787"},"modified":"2025-05-07T15:31:59","modified_gmt":"2025-05-07T20:31:59","slug":"vortex-usa-tornado-project-paper-chosen-as-highlight-by-ams","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/inside.nssl.noaa.gov\/nsslnews\/2025\/05\/vortex-usa-tornado-project-paper-chosen-as-highlight-by-ams\/","title":{"rendered":"VORTEX USA Tornado Project Paper Chosen as Highlight by AMS"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A new paper<\/a> on the PERiLS (Propagation, Evolution, and Rotation in Linear Storms)<\/a> project was selected by the American Meteorological Society<\/a> and the editors of Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society (BAMS)<\/em><\/a> <\/em>\u00a0to be featured as a BAMS highlight. The paper discusses the design, execution and preliminary data of this groundbreaking collaboration project of\u00a0 VORTEX-USA <\/a>\u00a0and the U.S. National Science Foundation<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A mobile radar scans a thunderstorm during the PERiLS project. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Quasi-linear convective systems (QLCSs)<\/a> are responsible for approximately a quarter of all tornado events in the United States. PERiLS was the first field campaign in nearly 20 years focused specifically on collecting data to understand QLCS tornado formation and was the first large-scale effort  focused on cold-season QLCS tornadoes, which tend to be stronger and more prolific than their warm-season counterparts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

PERiLS participants were drawn from more than 10 universities, laboratories, and institutes, with over 100 students participating in field activities. Spanning two\u2009years (late winters and early springs of 2022 and 2023 to increase the probability of intercepting significant tornadic QLCS events) the field phases of PERiLS collected data in nine tornadic and non-tornadic QLCSs with unprecedented detail in a wide range of environments.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe collected an unprecedented data set<\/a> to better understand tornadic storms in the Southeast, the environments in which they form and the damage they leave behind,\u201d said Anthony Lyza, PERiLS coordinating scientist. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

By learning how, when and where these types of tornadoes\u00a0 form, forecasters can make better predictions and provide the public with more precise and longer-lead time warnings that save lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A researcher adjusts a lightning mapping array during the PERiLS project.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Storms in the Southeast U.S. can pose a higher risk to people and property than in other parts of the country for two reasons. First, some storms and the tornadoes they produce can be challenging to predict in advance because they often develop and evolve rapidly. Second, the southeast U.S. tends to be more vulnerable because of unique scientific and socioeconomic factors, which previous research has shown include the frequency of nighttime tornadoes, larger population density relative to other tornado-prone areas in the U.S., and the larger amount and distribution of mobile and manufactured homes that pose added risks for residents when tornadoes strike.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

PERiLS participants include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n