Research news on tornadoes

Tornadoes are rapidly rotating columns of air that extend from the base of a convective cloud, typically a supercell thunderstorm, to the ground, characterized by intense vertical vorticity and a tight pressure gradient. They form through the tilting and stretching of environmental wind shear, often involving a mesocyclone and low-level instability in the presence of strong updrafts and moisture. Their dynamics are governed by conservation of angular momentum, interactions between downdrafts and near-surface vorticity, and complex microphysical and thermodynamic processes. Tornado intensity and damage potential are quantified using scales such as the Enhanced Fujita (EF) scale based on observed structural impacts.