Chasing Tornadoes

JW: "The most prolific tornado-producing region is the USA Midwest in the springtime. It is all because of geography. The combination of a source of warm moist air from the Gulf of Mexico, strong winds in the upper mid-latitude troposphere, and warm mid-level air due to solar heating of the high terrain to the west, near the rocky Mountains, combine to make thunderstorms, rotating thunderstorms, an explosive release of pent up energy possible."

FS: How many lives do you estimate have been lost to tornadoes and what can be done to give people more advanced warnings?

NOAA Tornadoes are capable of lifting heavy trucks hundreds of feet into the air

JW: "Tornadoes kill fewer people than some other weather phenomena. Tornado deaths have been steadily dropping in recent decades due to better warnings and public awareness. This is despite the increasing population in the tornado-prone regions. I do not know the exact numbers, but I think that less than 100 people are killed every year, on average by tornadoes in the USA. Better warnings will require a better understanding of the tornadogenesis process. We need to know how, why and when tornadoes will form in particular storms. More importantly we need to be able to distinguish between the very rare powerful, long track, large tornadoes and the 90% that are far weaker and pose less significant threats. 90% of tornadoes are relatively minor, capable of removing or damaging buildings, but not of the catastrophic damage caused by the few tornadoes that contain winds in excess of 100 m/s. We also need better observations. We propose that a network of adaptable observing systems, like the Doppler On Wheels, be available to provide quick-update, high resolution data to forecasters and computer forecast models so that better predictions can be made. In the coming decade we hope that computer models, based on better understanding and better observations will be developed that will enable predictions of tornadoes an hour or two in advance."

FS: What have you learnt from your research into tornadoes?