Characteristics of Extratropical Cyclones That Cause Tornadoes in Italy: A Preliminary Study
Open Access
- 29 January 2021
- journal article
- research article
- Published by MDPI AG in Atmosphere
- Vol. 12 (2), 180
- https://doi.org/10.3390/atmos12020180
Abstract
Characteristics of extratropical cyclones that cause tornadoes in Italy are investigated. Tornadoes between 2007 and 2016 are analyzed, and statistical analysis of the associated cyclone structures and environments is performed using the JRA-55 reanalysis. Tornadoes are distributed sporadically around the cyclone location within a window of 10° × 10°. The difference in the cyclone tracks partially explains the seasonal variability in the distribution of tornadoes. The highest number of tornadoes occur south of the cyclone centers, mainly in the warm sector, while a few are observed along the cold front. Composite mesoscale parameters are examined to identify the environmental conditions associated with tornadoes in different seasons. Potential instability is favorable to tornado development in autumn. The highest convective available potential energy (CAPE) in this season is associated with relatively high-temperature and humidity at low-levels, mainly due to the strong evaporation over the warm Mediterranean Sea. Upper-level potential vorticity (PV) anomalies and the associated cold air reduce the static stability above the cyclone center, mainly in spring and winter. On average, the values of CAPE are lower than for US tornadoes and comparable with those occurring in Japan, while storm relative helicity (SREH) is comparable with US tornadoes and higher than Japanese tornadoes, indicating that the environmental conditions for Italian tornadoes have peculiar characteristics. Overall, the conditions emerging in this study are close to the high-shear, low-CAPE environments typical of cool-season tornadoes in the Southeastern US.Keywords
This publication has 46 references indexed in Scilit:
- Effect of a positive Sea Surface Temperature anomaly on a Mediterranean tornadic supercellScientific Reports, 2017
- Numerical Simulations of a Tornadic Supercell over the MediterraneanWeather and Forecasting, 2017
- Building damage assessment after the Riviera del Brenta tornado, northeast ItalyNatural Hazards, 2017
- An EF3 Multivortex Tornado over the Ionian Region: Is It Time for a Dedicated Warning System over Italy?Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, 2016
- Overview of ESSL's severe convective storms research using the European Severe Weather Database ESWDAtmospheric Research, 2008
- The climatology of tornadoes and waterspouts in ItalyAtmospheric Research, 2007
- A multiscale observational case study of an isolated tornadic supercellAtmospheric Research, 2007
- Tornadoes in Southern Apulia (Italy)Natural Hazards, 2005
- An interesting case of tornado in Friuli-Northeastern ItalyAtmospheric Research, 2003
- The June 4th 1999 severe weather episode in San Quirino, Italy: a tornado event?Atmospheric Research, 2001