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Rain, Drought, Urbanization Contributing Factors for Storms

On March 14, 2008, a tornado swept through downtown Atlanta, its 130 mile-per-hour winds ripping holes in the roof of the Georgia Dome, blowing out office windows and trashing parts of Centennial Olympic Park. It was an event so rare in an urban landscape that researchers immediately began to examine NASA satellite data and historical archives to see what weather and climatological ingredients may have combined to brew such a storm. Read more at http://www.nasa.gov/topics/earth/features/atlanta_tornado.html.

The animation shows how, in the days leading up to March 14, 2008, pockets of rain fell between drought-ravaged areas that saw no rain, setting up boundaries of dry and moist air. These boundaries along with urban-rural land cover boundaries produce circulations and rising air similar to a sea breeze. They may also serve as localized regions of enhancement for existing storms or initiation of new storms. Modeling studies suggest that these boundaries may have been a factor in the storms that produced the Atlanta tornado.    The animation shows how, in the days leading up to March 14, 2008, pockets of rain fell between drought-ravaged areas that saw no rain, setting up boundaries of dry and moist air. These boundaries along with urban-rural land cover boundaries produce circulations and rising air similar to a sea breeze. They may also serve as localized regions of enhancement for existing storms or initiation of new storms. Modeling studies suggest that these boundaries may have been a factor in the storms that produced the Atlanta tornado.
Duration: 1.5 minutes
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  1280x720 (30 fps) MPEG-2   77 MB
  512x288 (30 fps) MPEG-1   18 MB
  1280x720   TIFF         2 MB
  320x180     PNG           255 KB
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  80x40         PNG           16 KB
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Animation Number:10402
Completed:2009-03-11
Animator:Ivy Flores (UMBC) (Lead)
Producer:Jefferson Beck (UMBC)
Keywords:
SVS >> Atlanta
DLESE >> Atmospheric science
DLESE >> Environmental science
SVS >> HDTV
SVS >> Heat Island
DLESE >> Human geography
SVS >> Moisture
DLESE >> Natural hazards
GCMD >> EARTH SCIENCE >> Atmosphere >> Atmospheric Phenomena >> Drought
GCMD >> EARTH SCIENCE >> Atmosphere >> Atmospheric Phenomena >> Tornados
GCMD >> EARTH SCIENCE >> Atmosphere >> Precipitation >> Rain
GCMD >> EARTH SCIENCE >> Human Dimensions >> Environmental Impacts >> Urbanization
More Information on this topic available at:
http://www.nasa.gov/topics/earth/features/atlanta_tornado.html
 
 
Please give credit for this item to
NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center and Ivy Flores (UMBC)


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