Numerical Simulations of Supercells and Embedded Tornadoes

Robert Wilhelmson, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Usage Details

Blue Waters is being used to simulate, analyze, and visualize two tornadic events, i.e. the 24 May 2011 long-track EF5 tornado and the 31 May 2013 tornado that killed three storm chasers and was the widest ever observed. The simulation code being used for the proposed idealized simulations is CM1, a three-dimensional non-hydrostatic numerical model developed by George Bryan at NCAR and enhanced for efficient use on Blue Waters. Blue Waters is essential for this research in which increased model resolution is needed to capture faithfully both the large and small scale structures associated with tornado genesis, maintenance, and decay and in which large near-line storage capacity is needed. Several questions being addressed include (a) What is the balance of forces that is in place during long-track tornadoes? (b) What role do non-tornadic vortices play in both tornado genesis and tornado maintenance? (c) What influence does the inclusion of surface friction have on simulated tornadic storms?