Tornadoes - Severe Convective Storms and Tornadoes: Observations and Dynamics - page 380

Figure 6.50a. Small-scale vertical structure of weak-echo holes in tornadoes. Vertical cross
section of radar reflectivity factor in dBZ e as detected by the U. Mass. W-band, mobile
Doppler radar through the center of a tornado (top) in the Texas Panhandle on May 5,
2002 (range rings shown every 250m) and (bottom) in south central Kansas on May 12,
2004 (range rings shown every 500m).

6.6.2 Maximum possible wind speeds in tornadoes

6.6.2.1 Thermodynamic speed limit

D

The pressure drop ( p) in the core of a tornado (with respect to the pressure in

the environment) may be estimated by integrating the equation of cyclostrophic
balance

p 0

2

0 @ =@ r ¼ v ð r Þ= r ð 6 : 46 Þ