Abstract
Using the Modern-Era Retrospective Analysis for Research and Applications (MERRA) reanalysis data resources for the period 1979 to 1988, we defined the spatial distribution and temporal trends of jet stream by month, and analyzed geographic distribution of the smoothed hourly wind speed of jet stream in May, after applied Kolmogorov-Zurbenko Adaptive (KZA) filter. We showed the impressive synchronousness between hourly tornado risks and diurnal distribution of top 3 maximum daily wind speed of jet stream over USA. We observed that latitudinal distribution of jet stream concurrently oscillated with latitudinal distribution of tornado outbreaks. KZA filter smoothed spatial distribution of jet stream on tornado days showed a substantial increase in presence of jet stream over tornado alley region, compared to that on non-tornado-days.
Highlights
IntroductionTornadoes Are Powerful and Deadly, but Unpredictable Weather Phenomena
Geographic distribution of overall tornado onsets displayed a violent turbulence in the number of tornadoes across the country (Figure 5)
The geographic areas most commonly hit by tornadoes were displayed in dark-blue or blue, depends on the frequency of tornado occurrence
Summary
Tornadoes Are Powerful and Deadly, but Unpredictable Weather Phenomena. The National Weather Service (NWS) defines a tornado (Figure 1) as a violently spinning funnel-shaped air extending from the base of a thunderstorm down to the ground [1]. Tornadoes, descending like titans from the clouds, tearing down buildings and lashing out at their surroundings, are capable of completely destroying well-made structures, uprooting trees, taking human lives and hurling objects through the air like deadly missiles (Figure 2 and Figure 3). It is estimated that each year in the United States, 1000 tornadoes on average kill about 70 people, injure 1500, and cause roughly $400 million in damages [2] [3]. The year 2011 was especially vicious, with a record-breaking 1691 tornadoes killing 550 people, causing more than $25 billion in damages [4].
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