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Composite Weather Map from 11-24-01 Tornado Outbreak |
| This map gives an overview of wind flow and surface features that came together to bring large and destructive tornadoes to the ArkLaMiss region. The red arrows (highly convergent) overlayed by the green arrow (south-southwest winds about 5000 ft), and further overlayed by strong jet stream winds (purple arrow), reveal a strongly sheared environment (winds increasing and veering with height) characteristic of tornado outbreaks. Isolated storms that formed in this environment were long-lived and exhibited strong rotation (super cells) and quickly became severe...even tornadic at times. Cooling aloft, combined with strong southerly flow ahead of the surface cold front, helped to destabilize the atmosphere and allow storms to form. |
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