In the afternoon hours of June 5, 2009, a well-documented tornado moved across Goshen County, located in the state of Wyoming. The tornado was observed by hundreds of experimental radar instruments, and the event formed the pinnacle of the VORTEX projects, which aimed to document the formation and lifecycle of a tornado. The tornado and the observations of it were heavily studied by meteorologists in the following years, and footage of the tornado has been featured on several national television networks, including The Weather Channel.
 An image of the tornado, with a mobile radar truck observing it. | |
| Meteorological history | |
|---|---|
| Date | June 5, 2009 |
| Formed | June 5, 2009, 3:40 p.m. CDT (UTC−05:00) |
| Dissipated | June 5, 2009, 5:03 p.m. CDT (UTC−05:00) |
| Duration | 83 minutes |
| EF2 tornado | |
| on the Enhanced Fujita scale | |
| Highest winds | 135 mph (217 km/h) |
| Overall effects | |
| Fatalities | 0 |
| Injuries | 0 |
| Areas affected | Goshen County, Wyoming |
Part of the Tornadoes of 2009 | |
Tornado summary
edit
On the afternoon of June 5, a large tornado was observed by researchers with the VORTEX 2 tornado research project in Goshen County, Wyoming, with the entire life cycle of the tornado being broadcast live on The Weather Channel as part of their coverage of the VORTEX2 project.[1] The tornado was on the ground for approximately 25 minutes and became rain-wrapped at one point, eventually roping out and dissipating. The tornado stayed in open rural areas and damaged only a few trees and telephone poles. It was rated EF2 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale based upon Doppler weather radar measurements.[2] This tornado was also featured on an episode of the Discovery Channel series Storm Chasers, wherein the TIV 2 and the SRV Dominator both managed to penetrate the tornado with TIV 2 filming IMAX footage from inside the funnel.[1][3]
Formation
editDoppler radar positioned near the now-developed tornado recorded a rapid intensification over a period of three minutes, from 4:04 to 4:08. A decrease in convergence to the north of the tornado was also noted at around the same time.[4]
Documentation
editPrior observation preperations
editIn the hours leading up to the tornado, multiple researchers working with the VORTEX2 team set up numerous instruments along U.S. Highway 85, including a doppler radar.[5] By the time all of the instruments were set up, the hook echo of the supercell was located 21 miles (34 km) to the southwest.[5] The Doppler radar was activated a minute later, and began to detect a mesocyclone, and several minutes later convergence lines were also detected.[5]
Observations
editA Doppler on Wheels observed the entire lifecycle of an EF2 tornado in Goshen County, Wyoming. The radar also observed a peak wind speed of 271 mph (436 km/h) at 15–20 m (49–66 ft) above the ground level.[5]
See also
edit- May 2009 derecho series, a derecho that would take place in the United States a month earlier
Notes and footnotes
editFootnotes
edit- ^ a b Samenow, Jason (2009-06-06). "Success: CWG Captures Tornado on Chase". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on August 29, 2012. Retrieved 2009-06-08.
- ^ "June 5 - Goshen County Tornado - Preliminary Rating of EF1". 0. 2009-06-05. Archived from the original on October 21, 2012. Retrieved 2009-06-06.
- ^ "Storm Chaser Recalls Getting Blasted By Gigantic Goshen County Tornado". Cowboy State Daily. Retrieved 2024-12-02.
- ^ Kosiba & Richardson 2014.
- ^ a b c d Kosiba et al. 2013.
Sources
edit- Kosiba, Karen; Wurman, Joshua; Richardson, Yvette; Markowski, Paul (April 1, 2013). "Genesis of the Goshen County, Wyoming, Tornado on 5 June 2009 during VORTEX2". American Meteorological Society.
- Kosiba, K. A.; Richardson, Y.P. (November 5, 2014). "Observations from VORTEX2: The intensification of the Goshen County, Wyoming tornado (05 June 2009)". American Meteorological Society.
- Wakimoto, Roger M.; Wurman, Joshua; Atkins, Nolan T. (July 1, 2011). "The LaGrange Tornado during VORTEX2. Part I: Photogrammetric Analysis of the Tornado Combined with Single-Doppler Radar Data". American Meteorological Society.
- Marquis, James; Richardson, Yvette; Markowski, Paul; Dowell, David (February 1, 2014). "An Investigation of the Goshen County, Wyoming, Tornadic Supercell of 5 June 2009 Using EnKF Assimilation of Mobile Mesonet and Radar Observations Collected during VORTEX2. Part I: Experiment Design and Verification of the EnKF Analyses". American Meteorological Society: 530–554.
- Supinie, Timothy A .; Jung, Youngsun; Xue, Ming; Stensrud, David J. (January 1, 2016). "Impact of VORTEX2 Observations on Analyses and Forecasts of the 5 June 2009 Goshen County, Wyoming, Supercell". American Meteorological Society.
Further reading
edit- "Goshen County, WY Tornado (5 June 2009)". Illinois.edu.
- Markowski, Paul; Richardson, Yvette; Marquis, James; Davies-Jones, Robert (September 1, 2012). "The Pretornadic Phase of the Goshen County, Wyoming, Supercell of 5 June 2009 Intercepted by VORTEX2. Part II: Intensification of Low-Level Rotation". American Meteorological Society.