21. A mesocyclone is the rotating updraft in a supercell thunderstorm. What caus

Question

21. A mesocyclone is the rotating updraft in a supercell thunderstorm. What causes the mesocyclone to be present? In other words, what causes the rotation initially, and what causes the rotation to go from horizontal to vertical?

22. Tropical regions generally experience far more thunderstorms than mid-latitude regions (north or south of the tropics). However, severe weather isn't particularly common in the tropics. Why is severe weather less common in the tropics despite the high thunderstorm activity?

23. Both the Southeast and the Great Plains experience a lot of tornadoes during the spring. Why do the Great Plains receive much more large hail than the Southeast?

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Explanation / Answer

A mesocyclone is the rotation in the severe thunderstorm. this occurs when the an approaching low pressure cold front advances form the west coast Pacific Ocean, and a low humid windfield forces northward out of the Gulf of Mexico. It is air that rises and rotates around a vertical axis, usually in the same direction as low pressure systems in a given hemisphere. They are most often cyclonic, that is, associated with a localized low-pressure region within a severe thunderstorm. Such thunderstorms can feature strong surface winds and severe hail. The rotation starts in a horizontal fashion, then with daytime heating, the rotation tilts upward picking up energy with the updraft heating.

stage 1- Before thunderstorms develop, a change in wind direction and an increase in wind speed with increasing height creates an invisible, horizontal spinning effect in the lower atmosphere. This called a mesocyclone.

Stage 2-Rising air within the thunderstorm updraft tilts the rotating air from horizontal to vertical. A low level moisture cloud "wall cloud" is usually present in rotation mode below the base level of supercell.

Stage 3-An area of rotation, 2-6 miles wide, now extends through much of the storm. Most strong and violent tornadoes form within this area of strong rotation. The tornado forms out of the rotating wall cloud.

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