Vortex characteristic summary
vortex summary

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Speaker Notes:

Note that the vortex associated with the Luzerne county tornado was the strongest vortex in northeast Pennsylvania on this day (at 0.5 degrees). Meanwhile, the vortex associated with the Pike county tornadoes was not particularly strong at 0.5 degrees. Keep in mind that 0.5 degrees was approximately 7000 feet above ground level over Pike county; it is likely that the Pike county vortex would have stood out with stronger rotation if data had been available at lower elevations.

Since previous research has shown that these meso-vortices usually develop from the bottom up, and previous research indicates that the strongest vortices are usually the ones associated with tornadoes, it appears that issues associated with our ability to sample the lower part of vortices like the one in northern Pike county will continue to limit our ability to detect tornadoes with these types of systems.

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