Updraft: June 16, 2008 Archive

Gustnadoes?

Posted at 7:12 AM on June 16, 2008 by Paul Huttner (2 Comments)

Gust what?

I remember first hearing the term "gustnado" from famed severe storms researcher Chuck Doswell many years ago.

Saturday evenings line of thunderstorms brought many reports of gustnadoes into the Twin Cities NWS office.

Gustnadoes are mini vortices that form along the gust front on the leading edge of strong thunderstorms. Different from tornadoes, they can originate from the ground up, and are thus not connected to the circulation from the parent storm like tornadoes. They are often not connected to the shelf cloud that accompanies the leading edge of the gust front.

Gustnadoes can reach speeds of 60 to 80 mph, and can do damage. They are really considered part of the overall gust front, or straight line winds at the front edge of severe thunderstorms. They are not tornadoes, but if you see one you can assume they accompany a potent gust front, and you should expect high winds as it passes.

Anatomy of a gustnado

Twin Cities NWS gustnado reports

Speaking of high winds, we had many reports of 60 mph winds in the metro Saturday night. The spotty damage was mostly due to downed trees. We've had so much rain lately that it's a bit easier than normal to push down trees in high winds because soils are so wet that the roots give way.

Saturday severe storms reports

This week looks quieter in the metro. We'll warm to near 80 by mid-week, and stay there through the weekend. Our average high hits 80 on Wednesday, so we'll finally be near average for a change.

Look for the big strawberry ripening (Dakota) full moon Wednesday, and the summer solstice Friday at 6:59pm.

The weather maps are easing us into a more summery pattern this week. Look for fewer storms, more sun, and warmer temperatures along with less wind as the week progresses.

Hopefully we won't see any more gustnadoes this week!

PH

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