Asatellite tornado is atornado that revolves around a larger, primary tornado and interacts with the samemesocyclone. Satellite tornadoes occur apart from the primary tornado and are not consideredsubvortices; the primary tornado and satellite tornadoes are considered to be separate tornadoes. The cause of satellite tornadoes is not known. Such tornadoes are more oftenanticyclonic than are typical tornadoes and these pairs may be referred to as tornado couplets.[1] Satellite tornadoes commonly occur in association with very powerful, large, and destructive tornadoes, indicative also of the strength and severity of the parentsupercell thunderstorm.[2]

Satellite tornadoes are relatively uncommon. When a satellite tornado does occur, there is often more than one orbiting satellite spawned during the life cycle of the tornado or with successive primary tornadoes spawned by the parentsupercell (a process known ascyclic tornadogenesis and leading to atornado family). Ontornado outbreak days, if satellite tornadoes occur with one supercell, there is an elevated probability of their occurrence with other supercells.[citation needed]
Satellite tornadoes tend toorbit their parent cyclonically, counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere, and clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere, and will generally form near the edge of a supercell'smesocyclone, and gradually travel inward to the parent tornado.[3] Satellite tornadoes may merge into their companion tornado although the appearance of this occurring is often an illusion caused when an orbiting tornado revolves around the backside of a primary tornado obscuring view of the satellite.[4] During theMarch 1990 Central United States tornado outbreak, one member of a tornado family (ratedF5) constricted and became a satellite tornado of the next tornado of the family before merging into the new primary tornado which soon also intensified to F5.[5]
Examples
editSome examples of tornado couplets include theTri-State Tornado,[6] multiple tornadoes during the1999 Oklahoma tornado outbreak,[7] the2007 Greensburg tornado,[8] and the2013 El Reno tornado.[9] Satellite tornadoes are more likely to be recognized in recent decades than in the far past as eyewitness accounts as well as damage survey information are often available for later events. The advent ofstorm chasing, in particular, boosts the likelihood that satellite tornadoes are noticed visually and/or on mobileradar.[10] These tornadoes may remain over open country and thus cause less structural damage and consequently are less widely known. Such examples include near Beloit, Kansas on 15 May 1990 and duringProject VORTEX near Allison, Texas on 8 June 1995, among other events.[4]
List of confirmed satellite tornadoes
editSee also
editNotes
edit- ^This includes any fatalities from the parent and satellite tornadoes
- ^This tornado's rating is unofficial.
- ^This track was probably atornado family.
References
edit- ^Marshall, Tim (1995).Storm Talk. David Hoadley (illust.). Texas.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^Edwards, Roger (2006-04-04)."Satellite tornado".The Online Tornado FAQ.Storm Prediction Center. Archived fromthe original on 2006-09-29. Retrieved2012-04-26.
- ^Edwards, Roger."CHARACTERISTICS OF SUPERCELLULAR SATELLITE TORNADOES"(PDF). Retrieved11 October 2024.
- ^abEdwards, Roger (2001)."Satellite Tornado". StormEyes. Retrieved2014-03-22.
- ^Davies, Jonathan M.; C. A. Doswell; D. W. Burgess; J. F. Weaver (1994)."Some Noteworthy Aspects of the Hesston, Kansas, Tornado Family of 13 March 1990".Bull. Amer. Meteor. Soc.75 (6):1007–17.Bibcode:1994BAMS...75.1007D.doi:10.1175/1520-0477(1994)075<1007:SNAOTH>2.0.CO;2.
- ^Johns, Robert H.; D. W. Burgess; C. A. Doswell III; M. S. Gilmore; J. A. Hart; S. F. Piltz (2013)."The 1925 Tri-State Tornado Damage Path and Associated Storm System".e-Journal of Severe Storms Meteorology.8 (2):1–33.doi:10.55599/ejssm.v8i2.47.
- ^Edwards, Roger (2002)."Central Oklahoma Tornado Intercept: 3 May 1999". StormEyes. Retrieved2014-03-22.
- ^Lemon, Leslie R.; M. Umschied (2008-10-27)."The Greensburg, KS Tornadic Storm: A Storm of Extremes".24th Conf Severe Local Storms. Savannah, GA: American Meteorological Society.
- ^Wurman, Joshua; K. Kosiba; P. Robinson; T. Marshall (2014)."The Role of Multiple-Vortex Tornado Structure in Causing Storm Researcher Fatalities".Bull. Am. Meteorol. Soc.95 (1):31–45.Bibcode:2014BAMS...95...31W.doi:10.1175/BAMS-D-13-00221.1.
- ^Wurman, Joshua; K. Kosiba (2013)."Finescale Radar Observations of Tornado and Mesocyclone Structures".Weather Forecast.28 (5):1157–74.Bibcode:2013WtFor..28.1157W.doi:10.1175/WAF-D-12-00127.1.
- ^abcdeGrazulis, Thomas P. (1993).Significant tornadoes, 1680-1991: A Chronology and Analysis of Events. St. Johnsbury, Vermont: Environmental Films.ISBN 1-879362-03-1.
- ^"Georgia Event Report: F3 Tornado".National Centers for Environmental Information. National Weather Service. Retrieved5 May 2022."Georgia Event Report: F3 Tornado".National Centers for Environmental Information. National Weather Service. Retrieved5 May 2022."Georgia Event Report: F3 Tornado".National Centers for Environmental Information. National Weather Service. Retrieved5 May 2022.
- ^"Georgia Event Report: F1 Tornado".National Centers for Environmental Information. National Weather Service. Retrieved5 May 2022.
- ^New Mexico Event Report: F1 Tornado.National Weather Service (Report). National Centers for Environmental Information. Retrieved10 September 2020.
- ^New Mexico Event Report: F0 Tornado.National Weather Service (Report). National Centers for Environmental Information. Retrieved10 September 2020.
- ^Iowa Event Report: F5 Tornado.National Centers for Environmental Information (Report). National Weather Service. Retrieved7 April 2022.
- ^Iowa Event Report: F5 Tornado.National Centers for Environmental Information (Report). National Weather Service. Retrieved7 April 2022.
- ^Iowa Event Report: F2 Tornado.National Centers for Environmental Information (Report). National Weather Service. Retrieved7 April 2022.
- ^Iowa Event Report: F3 Tornado.National Centers for Environmental Information (Report). National Weather Service. Retrieved7 April 2022.
- ^"June 13, 1976 Lemont Tornado".National Weather Service Chicago, Illinois.
- ^ab"A look back at the Lemont tornado of June 13, 1976".WGN-TV. 5 June 2021.
- ^"Kansas Event Report: F5 Tornado".National Centers for Environmental Information. National Weather Service. Retrieved14 July 2022."Kansas Event Report: F5 Tornado".National Centers for Environmental Information. National Weather Service. Retrieved14 July 2022."Kansas Event Report: F5 Tornado".National Centers for Environmental Information. National Weather Service. Retrieved14 July 2022.
- ^"Kansas Event Report: F5 Tornado".National Centers for Environmental Information. National Weather Service. Retrieved14 July 2022."Kansas Event Report: F5 Tornado".National Centers for Environmental Information. National Weather Service. Retrieved14 July 2022."Kansas Event Report: F5 Tornado".National Centers for Environmental Information. National Weather Service. Retrieved14 July 2022.
- ^"The 1999 Oklahoma Tornado Outbreak: 10-Year Retrospective"(PDF). Risk Management Solutions. 2009. Archived fromthe original(PDF) on June 1, 2011. RetrievedJune 28, 2013.
- ^ab"The Great Plains Tornado Outbreak of May 3–4, 1999 Storm A Information".National Weather Service Office in Norman, Oklahoma. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. May 22, 2013. RetrievedJune 1, 2013.
- ^"Storm Events Database".National Weather Service. Retrieved9 April 2022.
- ^NWS Dodge City."Greensburg Tornado Rated EF-5 (updated May 22)".Archived from the original on May 12, 2007. Retrieved2007-05-22.
- ^National Climatic Data Center."NCDC Storm Reports".National Weather Service. Archived fromthe original on 2009-05-09. Retrieved2008-02-29.
- ^abcdefghijEnquirer, Cincinnati."Tornado on May. 05, 2007 23:00 PM CDT".Cincinnati Enquirer. Retrieved2024-11-14.
- ^"Storm Events Database - Event Details | National Centers for Environmental Information".www.ncdc.noaa.gov.
- ^"Storm Events Database - Event Details | National Centers for Environmental Information".www.ncdc.noaa.gov.
- ^"Oklahoma Event Report: EF3 Tornado".National Centers for Environmental Information. National Weather Service. Retrieved25 May 2022."Oklahoma Event Report: EF3 Tornado".National Centers for Environmental Information. National Weather Service. Retrieved25 May 2022."Kansas Event Report: EF1 Tornado".National Centers for Environmental Information. National Weather Service. Retrieved25 May 2022.
- ^"Oklahoma Event Report: EF0 Tornado".National Centers for Environmental Information. National Weather Service. Retrieved25 May 2022.
- ^Iowa Event Report: EF2 Tornado.National Centers for Environmental Information (Report). National Weather Service. Retrieved8 April 2022.
- ^Iowa Event Report: EF2 Tornado.National Centers for Environmental Information (Report). National Weather Service. Retrieved8 April 2022.
- ^Iowa Event Report: EF3 Tornado.National Centers for Environmental Information (Report). National Weather Service. Retrieved8 April 2022.
- ^Iowa Event Report: EF3 Tornado.National Centers for Environmental Information (Report). National Weather Service. Retrieved8 April 2022.
- ^Iowa Event Report: EF3 Tornado.National Centers for Environmental Information (Report). National Weather Service. Retrieved8 April 2022.[permanent dead link]
- ^Iowa Event Report: EF4 Tornado.National Centers for Environmental Information (Report). National Weather Service. Retrieved8 April 2022.
- ^Iowa Event Report: EF1 Tornado.National Centers for Environmental Information (Report). National Weather Service. Retrieved8 April 2022.
- ^Iowa Event Report: EF1 Tornado.National Centers for Environmental Information (Report). National Weather Service. Retrieved8 April 2022.
- ^Iowa Event Report: EF2 Tornado.National Centers for Environmental Information (Report). National Weather Service. Retrieved8 April 2022.
- ^"Oklahoma Event Report: EF5 Tornado". National Centers for Environmental Information. 2011. RetrievedJanuary 28, 2023."Oklahoma Event Report: EF3 Tornado". National Centers for Environmental Information. 2011. RetrievedJanuary 28, 2023."Oklahoma Event Report: EF3 Tornado". National Centers for Environmental Information. 2011. RetrievedJanuary 28, 2023.
- ^"Oklahoma Event Report: EF0 Tornado". National Centers for Environmental Information. 2011. RetrievedJanuary 28, 2023.
- ^ab"The Severe Weather Event of November 7-8, 2011". National Weather Service. Retrieved8 November 2022.
- ^Kansas Event Report: EF3 Tornado. National Weather Service Office in Topeka, Kansas (Report). National Centers for Environmental Information. 2013. RetrievedFebruary 20, 2017.
- ^Kansas Event Report: EF1 Tornado. National Weather Service Office in Topeka, Kansas (Report). National Centers for Environmental Information. 2013. RetrievedFebruary 20, 2017.
- ^ab"Central Oklahoma Tornadoes and Flash Flooding – May 31, 2013".National Weather Service Office in Norman, Oklahoma. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. May 31, 2013. RetrievedJune 7, 2013.
- ^Illinois Event Report: EF4 Tornado. National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office in Chicago, Illinois (Report). National Climatic Data Center. 2015. RetrievedDecember 31, 2015.
- ^Illinois Event Report: EF0 Tornado. National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office in Chicago, Illinois (Report). National Climatic Data Center. 2015. RetrievedDecember 31, 2015.
- ^Iowa Event Report: EF0 Tornado. National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office in Des Moines, Iowa (Report). National Centers for Environmental Information. 2016. RetrievedDecember 7, 2016.
- ^Iowa Event Report: EF0 Tornado. National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office in Des Moines, Iowa (Report). National Centers for Environmental Information. 2016. RetrievedDecember 7, 2016.
- ^Oklahoma Event Report: EF1 Tornado. National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office in Norman, Oklahoma (Report). National Centers for Environmental Information. 2016. RetrievedDecember 10, 2016.
- ^Oklahoma Event Report: EFU Tornado. National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office in Norman, Oklahoma (Report). National Centers for Environmental Information. 2016. RetrievedDecember 10, 2016.
- ^Oklahoma Event Report: EFU Tornado. National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office in Tulsa, Oklahoma (Report). National Centers for Environmental Information. 2016. RetrievedDecember 10, 2016.
- ^Oklahoma Event Report: EFU Tornado. National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office in Tulsa, Oklahoma (Report). National Centers for Environmental Information. 2016. RetrievedDecember 10, 2016.
- ^Wyoming Event Report: EF3 Tornado. National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office in Cheyenne, Wyoming (Report). National Centers for Environmental Mesonet. 2018. RetrievedMarch 2, 2019.
- ^Wyoming Event Report: EF2 Tornado. National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office in Cheyenne, Wyoming (Report). National Centers for Environmental Mesonet. 2018. RetrievedMarch 2, 2019.
- ^Iowa Event Report: EF3 Tornado.National Centers for Environmental Information (Report). National Weather Service. Retrieved8 April 2022.
- ^Iowa Event Report: EF2 Tornado.National Centers for Environmental Information (Report). National Weather Service. Retrieved8 April 2022.
- ^Iowa Event Report: EF0 Tornado.National Centers for Environmental Information (Report). National Weather Service. Retrieved8 April 2022.
- ^ab"Grosso tornado si abbatte a nord di Crotone: devastato centro commerciale, auto scaraventate via". Inmeteo.net. 2018-11-25. Retrieved2022-05-06.
- ^Oklahoma Event Report: EF2 Tornado. National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office in Tulsa, Oklahoma (Report). National Centers for Environmental Information. 2019. RetrievedDecember 21, 2019.
- ^Oklahoma Event Report: EFU Tornado. National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office in Tulsa, Oklahoma (Report). National Centers for Environmental Information. 2019. RetrievedDecember 21, 2019.
- ^abWyoming Event Report: EF2 Tornado. National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office in Cheyenne, Wyoming (Report). National Centers for Environmental Information. 2019. RetrievedJanuary 18, 2020.
- ^NWS Damage Survey for 3/13/21 Tornado Event Update #3. National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office in Amarillo, Texas (Report). Iowa Environmental Mesonet. March 18, 2021. RetrievedMarch 18, 2021.
- ^Storm Events Database March 13, 2021. National Centers for Environmental Information (Report). National Centers for Environmental Information. RetrievedJune 16, 2021.
- ^Storm Events Database April 27, 2021. National Centers for Environmental Information (Report). National Centers for Environmental Information. RetrievedAugust 12, 2021.
- ^Storm Events Database April 27, 2021. National Centers for Environmental Information (Report). National Centers for Environmental Information. RetrievedAugust 12, 2021.
- ^Storm Events Database May 19, 2021. National Centers for Environmental Information (Report). National Centers for Environmental Information. RetrievedAugust 28, 2021.
- ^Storm Events Database May 19, 2021. National Centers for Environmental Information (Report). National Centers for Environmental Information. RetrievedAugust 28, 2021.
- ^ab"New ON tornadoes on May 25, Jun 11 and Jul 13".www.uwo.ca. Retrieved2022-09-06.[permanent dead link]
- ^"Several injured after tornado hits German city of Kiel".Euronews.com. September 30, 2021.Archived from the original on October 3, 2021. RetrievedOctober 3, 2021.
- ^"European Severe Weather Database".eswd.eu. Archived fromthe original on 20 January 2022. Retrieved25 January 2022.
- ^Storm Events Database October 12, 2021. National Centers for Environmental Information (Report). National Centers for Environmental Information. RetrievedJanuary 24, 2022.
- ^Storm Events Database October 12, 2021. National Centers for Environmental Information (Report). National Centers for Environmental Information. RetrievedJanuary 24, 2022.
- ^Kentucky Event Report: EF3 Tornado. National Weather Service in Louisville, Kentucky (Report). National Centers for Environmental Information. 2021. RetrievedMarch 20, 2022.
- ^Kentucky Event Report: EF2 Tornado. National Weather Service in Louisville, Kentucky (Report). National Centers for Environmental Information. 2021. RetrievedMarch 20, 2022.
- ^NWS Des Moines [@NWSDesMoines] (March 6, 2022)."Chariton/Red Haw State Park Tornado Peak Intensity: EF-3 (138 MPH) Path Length: 16.5 Miles 1 Injury, 1 Fatality" (Tweet) – viaTwitter.
- ^"ArcGIS Web Application".apps.dat.noaa.gov. RetrievedMarch 8, 2022.
- ^abNWS Damage Survey for 04/05/22 Clarke County Tornado Event. National Weather Service in Mobile, Alabama (Report). Iowa Environmental Mesonet. April 7, 2022. RetrievedApril 7, 2022.
- ^ab"NWS Damage Survey for May 2 and May 4 Tornado Events". National Weather Service in Norman, Oklahoma. Iowa Environmental Mesonet. May 6, 2022. RetrievedMay 6, 2022.
- ^"We assessed damage from the tornado that moved from SW of Cromwell to NW of Okemah yesterday, and found EF-1 damage associated with it. It was very large as it approached/crossed I-40. We will continue our damage surveys for the area today. More details late this evening".Twitter. National Weather Service Forecast Office in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Retrieved6 May 2022.
- ^ab"...NWS Damage Survey for 12/14/22 Tornado Event...Update".Iowa Environmental Mesonet. National Weather Service. Retrieved29 December 2022.
- ^ab"NWS Damage Survey for 06/28/2023 Kimball County Tornado Event".Iowa Environmental Mesonet. National Weather Service. 29 June 2023. Retrieved29 June 2023.
- ^"NWS Damage Survey for 04/30/24 Tornado Event - Update #2".National Weather Service Norman, Oklahoma. 2 May 2024. Retrieved16 June 2024.
- ^"Rare 'backward-spinning' tornado among twisters wreaking havoc in Oklahoma Tuesday".Fox Weather. 1 May 2024. Retrieved16 June 2024.
- ^ab"NWS Damage Survey for May 25th Tornado Event - Update # 2".National Weather Service Fort Worth, Texas. 27 May 2024. Retrieved22 June 2024.
- ^"NWS Damage Survey for April 27, 2025 Western Sandhills and Cherry County Tornado Event".National Weather Service North Platte, Nebraska. 2 May 2025. Retrieved2 May 2025.
External links
edit- Satellite tornado (by Roger Edwards)
- Lemon, Leslie R.; A. Stan-Sion; C. Soci; E. Cordoneanu (Jul–Sep 2003). "A strong, long-track, Romanian tornado".Atmos. Res.67–68:391–416.Bibcode:2003AtmRe..67..391L.doi:10.1016/S0169-8095(03)00063-2.