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| Fox_Weather_News's Blog |
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After 20 days into the field research and studying plenty of storms, the VORTEX2 scientists encountered their first tornado. These real-life tornado chasers studied the tornado as it touched down in Goshen County, Wyoming. Hail as large as grapefruits and softballs slammed into the VORTEX2 vehicles, shattering the windshield of this Mobile Mesonet vehicle. This vehicle, wired with all sorts of instruments, records weather data. Learn more about the vehicle's purpose from a FOX Weather entry detailing the VORTEX 2 mission.
Survey the damage from the Wyoming tornado for yourself at the Cheyenne, Wyoming National Weather Service website. The first photo shows Doppler radar from the storm. Learn the simple way to interpret the radar output from another FOX Weather entry.
Trees and telephone poles snapped like toothpicks as the tornado raced through the area. The VORTEX team worked with the Cheyenne National Weather Service to determine that the tornado produce damage of an EF1 rating on the Enhanced Fujita Scale. EF1 corresponds to winds no greater than 110 mph and moderate damage.
Two days after their first tornado, the VORTEX2 crew spotted another. Yet, this tornado only made a brief appearance and did not produce the damage that the EF1 one did. This storm brought some more soft-ball-sized hail, too. The hail, albeit it large, was softer than and not as solid as the humongous hail associated with the EF1 tornado storm. Even without a tornado touching down, collecting data on this storm and storms with tornado-producing qualities are important to the VORTEX2 scientists.
Today, the tornado-chasers are off to Kansas tracking more severe weather.
Drew Anderson Penn State Meteorologist and Fox Weather Correspondent
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