Multi Vortex Funnel/Tornado Event!! - Maghera Area - April 29th

[martinastro]

Paul, by any chance do you still have those radar grabs? - if you do, any chance you could send them over to me? - would love to have them for the record.  , thanks.

[paulster78]

No problem Martin just sent them to you there. 

[martinastro]

Thanks very much Paul - just checked my mail there now - cheers for favour 

[martinastro]

Thought I would add this for the record - it's the model simulation by David Smart, interesting the way the simulation shows the multiple vortices including ground contact.



That was some mulit vortex in the US - seen Mike's great images, and I think Tyler has fantastic images too.

[markt]

Fascinating stuff guys!  You don't get this on the BBC website 

[martinastro]

lol Mark - no BBC coverage at all 

Just completed a 2 page image account on this event, very difficult to do it justice but it's done now for what it's worth if anyone is interested in reading. Big lesson learned from this - always take your video camera with you.

http://www.nightskyhunter.com/Tornadic%20Vortex%20-%20%20Maghera%20-%20Page%201.html

[markt]

Thats a fantastic read Martin - thanks for sharing

[martinastro]

Thanks very much for reading it Mark  - took me a long time to calm down and make an attempt at it, it's difficult to do justice to such an event - next time I will have the video camera with me!

[martinastro]

I have been corresponding with Tornado expert Dr. John Tyrrell from TORRO who's current investigating this event, this is an edited version of one his emails...

''I always think that observation takes precedence over theory. That is how we expand our understanding. All models are simplifications of a very complex reality and few things in life fit the simplified models. As a result observations may challenge our understanding of the world around us. What you certainly saw and experienced was more than one violent, rotating vortex associated with the same storm cell. They may not have looked as if they were straight from the textbook, but few things in the natural world are like that. 

The upper air sounding used in the discussion was made from Valentia. Its lack of suitable upper air conditions favouring vorticity and possible tornado development appears to have influenced many. I can understand why this sounding was selected - Valentia is in Ireland. However, if we think synoptically and geographically, I would suggest that this was not the appropriate sounding to look for clues. That was at Albermarle in NE England! It is closer to Maghera geographically. Also, it had a much more similar synoptic chronology over those hours than did Valentia. For example, its position in respect to the low ressure centre was much more similar than Valentia and the troughs shown on the synoptic chart were travelling from NI onwards across N England. Obviously there would be some time delay. So, If you look at the 00Z sounding at Albermarle for 30 April you get a very different picture indeed. Very significant speed and directional shear, albeit in a low CAPE environment (very normal for the majority of our tornadoes in any case) - all this at a relatively low level, up to 500 hPA. That's a pretty typical context in which tornades occur in Ireland.

With regard to damage on the ground, it may be worth reflectng on the fact that the size of the vortex does not automatically match the severity and extent of any damage. Tornadoes with large dimensions can be relatively weak as far as wind speeds are concerend and the damage caused may be quite difficult to trace, especially after a period of time has elapsed. If the tornado intensity had been the equivalent to T0 or T1, it would have been difficult to pick out in the open countryside. The fact that you did not find any damage does not mean that the circulation was not on the ground surface for some period of the vortice's life span''.