Possible Implications of Self-Similarity for Tornadogenesis and Maintenance

TL;DR

This paper investigates self-similarity in supercell tornado flows, demonstrating power laws relating flow quantities, and discusses their implications for tornado formation and severity, with connections to fractal theory.

Contribution

It introduces the analysis of self-similarity and power laws in tornadic flows, linking flow intensity to storm severity and exploring fractal connections.

Findings

Power laws relate flow quantities to tornado intensity.

Self-similarity observed in radar and simulation data.

Fractal features discussed in the context of tornadogenesis.

Abstract

Self-similarity in tornadic and some non-tornadic supercell flows is studied and power laws relating various quantities in such flows are demonstrated. Magnitudes of the exponents in these power laws are related to the intensity of the corresponding flow and thus the severity of the supercell storm. The features studied in this paper include the vertical vorticity and pseudovorticity, both obtained from radar observations and from numerical simulations, the tangential velocity, and the energy spectrum as a function of the wave number. Connections to fractals are highlighted and discussed.