Research on the formation of twisters has taken a positive turn: Scientists have discovered some of the key differences between storm systems that spawn tornadoes and those that don’t.
Two factors seem particularly crucial: whether a storm has high wind shear, or change in wind speed and direction with height, and high “helicity,” a measure of how much the storm tends to rotate. A team of meteorologists, led by Andrew Mercer of Mississippi State University, reports the finding in an upcoming Monthly Weather Review.
“Now we can say, Yes, this is what a tornadic outbreak looks like, generally speaking, versus a nontornadic outbreak,” Mercer says.