Spotting Tornadoes from Space

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Subject:

Science and Technology

Institution Name:

NASA

Collection:

NASA

Grade Level:

Secondary

Abstract:

This article describes the use of satellite remote sensing to examine supercell thunderstorms with the intent of predicting when or if they are likely to produce tornadoes. During the afternoon and evening of May 3, 1999, a series of supercell thunderstorms produced large, destructive tornadoes concentrated in central Oklahoma. During this outbreak, the NASA Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite made an overpass of 6 rotating supercell storms and was able to capture extreme lightning rates (exceeding 90 flashes per minute) on its Lightning Imaging Sensor (LIS). It is thought that lighting flash rates decrease rapidly just before a tornado forms, thus providing a potential warning. Animations of the May 1999 lightning flashes and of worldwide lightning patterns are included, as well as links to the TRMM mission website and to other sites with related information.

Course Type:

Learning Module

Languages:

English

Material Type:

Readings

Media Format:

Graphics/Photos, Text/HTML

Conditions of Use:

Public Domain
NASA still images; audio files; video; and computer files used in the rendition of 3-dimensional models, such as texture maps and polygon data in any format, generally are not copyrighted. You may use NASA imagery, video, audio, and data files used for the rendition of 3-dimensional models for educational or informational purposes, including photo collections, textbooks, public exhibits, computer graphical simulations, and Internet Web pages. This general permission extends to personal Web pages.