Observations of a Severe Left Moving Thunderstorm

Abstract

Observations have shown that right moving thunderstorms are favored in environments characterized by clockwise-turning hodographs. There are, however, a few observational and numerical studies of long-lived, left moving storms within environments characterized by clockwise-turning hodographs. For example, a documented left mover that occurred on 26 May 1992, near Coldspring, Texas, with a mesoanticyclone and hail spike (also called a three-body scattering signature) produced severe weather. Although a few cases have been documented, left moving thunderstorms have received less study than right moving cells. The long-lived, severe thunderstorm of 17 May 1996 is presented to improve documentation of left moving thunderstorms. The storm occurred over eastern Nebraska and will be referred to as the York County storm. This left mover resulted from storm splitting and moved to the west of a surface cold front. The relatively isolated storm subsequently split approximately 1 h later, yielding a new right moving thunderstorm. Doppler radial velocities suggested the existence of a mesoanticyclone within the York County storm. Hail, 1.75 in. in diameter, was produced by the storm around the time the updraft split. There were many similarities between the York County storm and the 26 May 1992 Coldspring left moving severe thunderstorm. Both storms were relatively isolated, contained mesoanticyclones, and produced severe weather after the vertically integrated liquid water obtained a maximum value. Due to the dearth of material on left-moving storms, general statements concerning their evolution are lacking. This current study is a first step toward improving the sparse documentation of such thunderstorms. More work is needed in this area to help identify physical processes that lead to left moving thunderstorms, particularly those that become severe.