Hawaiian Waterspouts and Tornadoes

Abstract

The most recent 15 years of records were examined to compare the nature of Hawaiian funnel clouds to south Florida waterspouts. The majority of Hawaiian funnel clouds were found to be small vertices which may represent the minimum vortex possible in cumulus-scale systems. Hawaiian funnels are less intense and occur less frequently than south Florida waterspounts. However, the climatology is influenced by several nonmeteorological factors. Examination of major tornadic events showed that Hawaiian tornadoes are mainly associated with intense mid-latitude cyclones. Conventional stability indices appear to be useful indications of tornado potential.