Second year of tornado research focused on the southeast underway

HUNTSVILLE, Alabama (WDEF) — The southeastern United States sees a disproportionately larger number of deadly tornadoes so meteorologists, researchers, and social scientists are working together to study severe weather in the southeast.

Southeast has high vulnerability to tornadoes – sees a lot of tornadoes at night and in the winter #VORTEXSE

— Christina Reuille (@wxchristina) March 21, 2017

The project is called Verification of the Origins of Rotation in Tornadoes EXperiment-Southeast – or VORTEX-SE. The researchers are now in their second spring of gathering data.

VORTEX-SE aims to better understand of how tornadoes form and move in the southeast as well as improve early warnings of severe weather.

The research involves more than 20 research institutions, 40 scientists, and $10 million in funding. One research group out of the University of Alabama at Huntsville is focused on Sand Mountain and why a disproportionately large number of tornadoes occur on the mountain.

The researchers came together for a media day on Tuesday at the Huntsville Airport to show off some of the equipment being used to collect data.

Octocopter used to sample vertical profiles during the hours ahead of storms #VORTEXSE pic.twitter.com/ujpCGEQLsR

— Christina Reuille (@wxchristina) March 21, 2017

Equipment like the octocopter is used to collect temperature and humidity data in the air ahead of a storm. It is operated by NOAA’s Atmospheric Turbulence Division out of Oak Ridge, Tenn.

Mobile radar was 10miles from EF3 Nov 30th in Rosalie #VORTEXSE pic.twitter.com/2SoWFDc9Lj

— Christina Reuille (@wxchristina) March 21, 2017

Vertically pointing radar shows researchers exactly what’s passing over them in high resolution #VORTEXSE pic.twitter.com/27w9mM6001

— Christina Reuille (@wxchristina) March 21, 2017

Radars, mobile weather stations, weather balloons, and mounted GoPro cameras are some of the other tools being used in the research. Also being put to use is the NOAA P-3 aircraft – the aircraft that flies into hurricanes with the Hurricane Hunters.

On the side of the Hurricane Hunter plane is a sticker for every storm they flown into #VORTEXSE pic.twitter.com/9ARvY3aMW0

— Christina Reuille (@wxchristina) March 21, 2017

Outside of tropical weather season, the aircraft is sent on other environmental missions like VORTEX-SE.

For more information on the on-going scientific research, visit the VORTEX Southeast website.