A long-lived tornado on 7 December 2010 in mainland Portugal
Abstract
On 7 December 2010 a long lived convective storm formed southwest of Lisbon in an instability line that developed in a very moist and unstable airmass, in the circulation of an extra-tropical cyclone propagating north-eastwards. This storm crossed the Lisbon district and spawned an F3 tornado a few dozens of kilometers to the northeast. Several parameters evaluating buoyancy, available moisture and vertical wind shear, were derived from Lisbon rawinsonde and ECMWF analyses, highlighting an environment that is favourable for tornadic development. The tornado touchdown occurred by 14:15 UTC, lasting for about 45 min and producing an exceptionally long damage path of around 54 km, according to the damage survey. It caused about 18 million Euros damage, > 40 injured people, but no fatalities. This storm had a very long lifetime of at least 5 h, intensified inland, sustained strong updrafts during, at least, 1 h and hold large hail cores as observed on radar. Exhibiting several supercell like features, it also produced intense lightning, with a predominance of cloud-to-ground flashes before the tornado touchdown and intra-cloud flashes during the tornado lifetime. Furthermore, in high resolution visible satellite imagery, a pattern of feeder clouds was identified one hour before tornadogenesis. This pattern has been associated to storm intensification and the onset of severe weather.
- Publication:
-
Atmospheric Research
- Pub Date:
- March 2017
- DOI:
- 10.1016/j.atmosres.2016.11.002
- Bibcode:
- 2017AtmRe.185..202B
- Keywords:
-
- AEMET;
- Spanish Meteorological Service;
- CAPE;
- Convective Available Potential Energy;
- C/CL;
- Coruche/Cruz do Leão;
- CG;
- cloud-to-ground;
- CIN;
- Convection inhibition;
- ECMWF;
- European Centre for Medium-range Weather Forecasts;
- EF;
- Enhanced Fujita;
- EHI;
- Energy Helicity Index;
- EHI1;
- EHI computed using SRH1;
- EHI3;
- EHI computed using SRH3;
- EL;
- equilibrium level;
- F scale;
- Fujita scale;
- IC;
- intra-cloud;
- IR;
- infrared;
- HRV;
- high resolution visible;
- L/CC;
- Loulé/Cavalos do Caldeirão;
- LFC;
- level of free convection;
- MaxBuo;
- maximum buoyancy;
- MAXZ;
- maximum reflectivity;
- MUCAPE;
- most unstable CAPE;
- MLCAPE;
- mixed layer CAPE;
- MUCIN;
- most unstable CIN;
- MLCIN;
- mixed layer CIN;
- MSG;
- Meteosat Second Generation;
- NT;
- non-tornadic;
- PPI;
- Plane position indicator;
- PW;
- precipitable water;
- RUC-2;
- Rapid Update Cycle-2;
- SCAPE;
- surface CAPE;
- SCIN;
- surface CIN;
- SHEAR;
- vertical wind shear;
- SHEAR1;
- bulk wind shear in the 0-1 km layer;
- SHEAR6;
- bulk wind shear in the 0-6 km layer;
- SRH;
- storm relative helicity;
- SRH1;
- SRH in the 0-1 km layer;
- SRH3;
- SRH in the 0-3 km layer;
- ST;
- significantly tornadic;
- TeD;
- Theta-e deficit;
- TOPS;
- reflectivity echo tops;
- T scale;
- TORRO scale;
- USA;
- United States;
- VIL;
- vertically integrated liquid water;
- WT;
- weakly tornadic