Tornadoes, some of the most violent storms on the planet, kill more people in the southeast United States than anywhere else in the country. This month, NOAA’s National Severe Storms Laboratory will kick-off VORTEX-SE, a research program designed to understand how environmental factors in the southeastern U.S. affect tornadoes in that region. VORTEX-SE, Verification of the Origins of Rotation in Tornadoes EXperiment-Southeast, will also look at how people learn of the threats posed by these storms and how they respond to protect their lives and property.
This study is set to run March 1 through April 30 and brings together 40 physical and social science researchers from 20 research entities. They will deploy approximately 13 vehicles, three mobile radars and one fixed radar in northern Alabama. Here are more details about this research project to unlock the mysteries of these storms, and a great video too.