Multiple vortex tornado
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A multiple vortex tornado is a tornado that contains several vortices rotating around and inside of and part of the main vortex. These multiple vortices are very similar to eyewall mesovortices found in intense tropical cyclones. The only times multiple vortices may be visible are when the tornado is first going through genesis. They are responsible for most (if not all) cases where narrow arcs of extreme destruction lie right next to weak damage within tornado paths.
Suction vortices are really substructures of many, if not all, tornadoes and are not always as easily visible. These occur, usually, at the base of the tornado vortex where the tornado makes contact with the ground. Multivortex tornadoes should not be confused with cyclic-tornadic systems and supercells. These systems can have the tendency to produce many, and very separate tornadoes, existing either at the same time or in succession. A phenomenon similar in nature to multiple vortexes is the satellite vortex. It is different from a multiple vortex tornado in that it exists outside of the main tornado and is caused by the main tornado itself.
[edit] External links and sources
- Tornado Research (NSSL)
- StormWiki