Tornado identification and forewarning with VHF windprofiler radars
The ability of very high frequency (VHF) (∼50 MHz) windprofilers to measure backscatter, winds and turbulence in the troposphere and the lower stratosphere gives them a unique perspective not available with many other remote sounding radar techniques. This capability has been utilized to study the environment of 31 tornadoes generated in the provinces of Ontario and Quebec in Canada over an 11-year period. Tornadoes were mostly of Enhanced Fujita (EF) types EF0 to EF2, with one being EF3. Focus is on events which produced visible damage. Signals detected show characteristics demonstrating new informative – and potentially predictive – capabilities.