Numerical Simulations of Supercells and Embedded Tornadoes

Robert Wilhelmson, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Usage Details

Over the past few years, the impact of tornadoes has been highlighted by devastating tornadic activity in 2011 and recent events in 2013. In 2011 the death toll reached 550 from 59 killer tornadoes out of 1,690 that occurred that year in 48 states. With Blue Waters it is now possible for the first time to simulate the multiscale interaction between the supercell and a tornado using high resolution that is needed to adequately represent boundary layer impacts including the shallow inflow into the tornado, to represent the remarkably thin precipitation curtains that form the “hook echo” adjacent to the tornado, and to study surface friction effects on tornado development. The CM1 numerical storm model will be used to study the long-lived EF-5 El Reno supercell/tornado on May 24, 2011.