Radar astounds scientists, chasers as 'monster' tornado approaches city
It has been a stormy start to June across the central United States, and one of the strongest storms of the week spawned a large tornado on Thursday afternoon that stunned storm chasers on the ground and people watching events unfold online.
AccuWeather Meteorologist and Storm Chaser Tony Laubach filmed a large wedge tornado grinding through farm fields near Morton, 50 miles northwest of Lubbock, Texas. Meanwhile, research scientists from University of Oklahoma had set up its high-resolution RAXPOL radar nearby.
What the radar operators and storm chasers saw astounded them. A hurricane-like swirl with an eye appeared on the radar as the large tornado touched down. This is what a classic hook echo looks like in high resolution.
"You are looking at the best image of tornado that radar can show you in 2025," said Texas Meteorologist Collin Myers on Facebook.
"You can see the individual structure and circulation of the main tornado vortex and centrifugal bands emanating out from the common center. It looks like a mini-hurricane," he added.
Indeed, tornadoes and hurricanes are low pressure centers at different scales, both with a calm eye and dangerous eyewall where winds ramp up suddenly to unimaginable speeds.
"I knew this was a monster looking at it... there was no question," Laubach recalled. "I was just so glad this was out in the middle of nowhere, but at the same time, terrified for the city of Lubbock cause it was coming for them."
RAXPOL stands for rapid X-band polarimetric radar. The unit is similar to the nation's network of NEXRAD radars that you're used to seeing on TV and the Internet, but this one is mobile, higher resolution, and can be quickly deployed near a severe storm for research purposes. The radar images are provided in real-time on the RAXPOL website.
As it moved east, the storm rolled a semi truck near Whitharral, and one person was injured when a building was damaged by another tornado near Reese Center, Texas.
Fortunately for Lubbock, the last tornado appeared to lift just before it arrived, though wind damage and flooding were reported over the western half of the city.
The local National Weather Service office may survey the damage to determine the tornado's rating on the Fujita Scale.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
NOAA predicts plenty of hurricanes in 2025: What to know at a glance
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration released its predictions for the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season on Thursday, May 22, and if you live along the coast or anywhere hurricanes impact, you may want to consider preparing for it now as we're looking at the potential for another season of above average activity. "Warm sea surface temperatures are probably the No. 1 contributor to the whole thing," said Ken Graham, director of the National Weather Service. "Not much wind shear. "Wind shear tears the storms apart. We don't expect a lot of wind shear and the African monsoons, conducive spots to be able to launch out the waves, launch out the storms — everything's in place for an above average season." The season is expected to be much like last year. There were 18 named storms in 2024 with six hurricanes and five major hurricanes including Hurricane Helene which caused destruction in five states and became one of the deadliest storms in recent history. Colorado State University is predicting the following for the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season: 17 named storms 9 hurricanes 4 major hurricanes AccuWeather is predicting the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season could bring: Direct U.S. impacts: 3-6 Named storms: 13-18 Hurricanes: 7-10 Major hurricanes: 3-5 NOAA is predicting a 60% chance of an above average season, a 30% chance of it being average and a 10% chance of it being below average season. Here are the predicted numbers. Named storms: 13-19 Hurricanes: 6-10 Major hurricanes: 3-5 More: Five things to know about Katrina, one of the nation's worst natural disasters Named storms: 14 Hurricanes: 7 Major hurricanes: 3 Here are the names for the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season and how to pronounce them. Andrea: AN-dree uh Barry: BAIR-ree Chantal: shahn-TAHL Dexter: DEHK-ster Erin: AIR-rin Fernand: fair-NAHN Gabrielle: ga-bree-ELL Humberto: oom-BAIR-toh Imelda: ee-MEHL-dah Jerry: JEHR-ee Karen: KAIR-ren Lorenzo: loh-REN-zoh Melissa: meh-LIH-suh Nestor: NES-tor Olga: OAL-guh Pablo: PAHB-lo Rebekah: reh-BEH-kuh Sebastien: se-BAS-tee-en Tanya: TAHN-yuh Van: van Wendy: WEN-dee The best time to prepare for a hurricane is before the season begins on June 1. It's vitally important to understand your home's vulnerability to storm surge, flooding, and wind. Here is a checklist of things to do before hurricane seasons begins. Know your zone: Do you live near the Gulf or Atlantic Coasts? Find out if you live in a hurricane evacuation area by contacting your local government/emergency management office or by checking the evacuation site website. Put Together an Emergency Kit: Put together a basic emergency. Check emergency equipment, such as flashlights, generators and storm shutters. Write or review your Family Emergency Plan: Before an emergency happens, sit down with your family or close friends and decide how you will get in contact with each other, where you will go, and what you will do in an emergency. Keep a copy of this plan in your emergency supplies kit or another safe place where you can access it in the event of a disaster. Start at the emergency plan webpage. Review Your Insurance Policies: Review your insurance policies to ensure that you have adequate coverage for your home and personal property. Understand NWS forecast products, especially the meaning of NWS watches and warnings. Preparation tips for your home from the Federal Alliance for Safe Homes Cheryl McCloud of the USA Today Network contributed to this report. Do you have a story idea? Contact Brian Broom at 601-961-7225 or bbroom@ This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Hurricane season 2025: What to know about the weather forecast
Yahoo
16 hours ago
- Yahoo
June 2025 full moon: It's been years since you've seen one that looks like this
June 2025's full moon is coming to a sky near you in the early morning hours of June 11. And while all June full moons ride low in the sky, spring's final full moon this year will be the lowest full moon in almost 20 years. The strawberry moon will rise on the evening of Tuesday, June 10, and will shine into Wednesday morning, a "sight that can be seen around the world," said Brian Lada, an AccuWeather meteorologist. June's full moon is called the strawberry moon because it signaled to some Native American tribes that it was the time of year to gather ripening wild strawberries, according to the Old Farmer's Almanac. Notably, this year's strawberry moon could actually have a reddish glow, due to how low it will sit in the sky and the haze from wildfires. June's full moon will reach peak illumination on June 11, 2025, at 3:44 a.m. ET, the Almanac said. But it will look plenty full as it rises the evening before, June 10. The strawberry moon is the most colorful of the year because it takes a low, shallow path across the sky, said Bob Bonadurer, director of the Milwaukee Public Museum's planetarium. The June full moon's arc across the sky means moonlight must travel through more of the Earth's atmosphere, which can give it a colorful tint. "So there's a chance it will actually look a little bit reddish or pink, and, and so that may also be part of the origin of the name," Chris Palma, professor of astronomy and astrophysics at Penn State University, told AccuWeather. Smoke in the atmosphere from Canadian wildfires could also act to create a colorful moon. According to EarthSky, the moon will the lowest in the sky that it's been since 2006. "That's because we're in the midst of a major lunar standstill," which has to do with the moon's orbit around the Earth. "It's all about the inclination of the moon's orbit, which undergoes an 18.6-year cycle," noted EarthSky's John Jardine Goss. "The cycle happens because the moon's orbit is being slowly dragged around – mostly due to the pull of the sun – every 18.6 years." This year's major lunar standstill culminated in January 2025. And we're still close enough to it that the standstill is affecting the path of this June full moon, EarthSky said. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: A notable June 2025 Strawberry full moon visible on June 11
Yahoo
16 hours ago
- Yahoo
Radar astounds scientists, chasers as 'monster' tornado approaches city
It has been a stormy start to June across the central United States, and one of the strongest storms of the week spawned a large tornado on Thursday afternoon that stunned storm chasers on the ground and people watching events unfold online. AccuWeather Meteorologist and Storm Chaser Tony Laubach filmed a large wedge tornado grinding through farm fields near Morton, 50 miles northwest of Lubbock, Texas. Meanwhile, research scientists from University of Oklahoma had set up its high-resolution RAXPOL radar nearby. What the radar operators and storm chasers saw astounded them. A hurricane-like swirl with an eye appeared on the radar as the large tornado touched down. This is what a classic hook echo looks like in high resolution. "You are looking at the best image of tornado that radar can show you in 2025," said Texas Meteorologist Collin Myers on Facebook. "You can see the individual structure and circulation of the main tornado vortex and centrifugal bands emanating out from the common center. It looks like a mini-hurricane," he added. Indeed, tornadoes and hurricanes are low pressure centers at different scales, both with a calm eye and dangerous eyewall where winds ramp up suddenly to unimaginable speeds. "I knew this was a monster looking at it... there was no question," Laubach recalled. "I was just so glad this was out in the middle of nowhere, but at the same time, terrified for the city of Lubbock cause it was coming for them." RAXPOL stands for rapid X-band polarimetric radar. The unit is similar to the nation's network of NEXRAD radars that you're used to seeing on TV and the Internet, but this one is mobile, higher resolution, and can be quickly deployed near a severe storm for research purposes. The radar images are provided in real-time on the RAXPOL website. As it moved east, the storm rolled a semi truck near Whitharral, and one person was injured when a building was damaged by another tornado near Reese Center, Texas. Fortunately for Lubbock, the last tornado appeared to lift just before it arrived, though wind damage and flooding were reported over the western half of the city. The local National Weather Service office may survey the damage to determine the tornado's rating on the Fujita Scale.
