Better understanding atmospheric processes within convective storms is a longstanding tenet of the VORTEX-USA program. A critical goal is illuminating the storm-scale processes that contribute to tornadogenesis. While these processes are better anticipated in supercells in the Great Plains, VORTEX-USA-funded projects were among the first to tackle “the tornadogenesis problem” in a variety of storm modes within the complex terrain of the Southeast U.S. Several years of close-range data collection resulted in dozens of tornadic cases for further analysis. This has yielded a plethora of significant research outcomes, including understanding relationships between lightning flash rates and storm intensity, how terrain features can locally augment the background environment to support tornado production, links between the near-inflow environment and tornado potential across a variety of storm modes, and why polarimetric radar signatures can help real-time tornado forecasting, just to name a few. These findings have yielded meaningful strides in our understanding of tornadic storms—and our ability to predict them—across the country.
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