VORTEX2
NSSL Home
Projects
VORTEX2
VORTEX2
The
Verification of the Origins of Rotation in Tornadoes Experiment 2
(VORTEX2) was the largest tornado research project in history to explore how, when and why tornadoes form.  The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the National Science Foundation (NSF) supported more than 100 scientists and students and staff from around the world to collect weather measurements around and under a supercell thunderstorm.  VORTEX2 teams used a fleet of 10 mobile radars, and 70 other instruments all equipped with cutting-edge communication and computer technologies.  Much about tornadoes remains a mystery, and researchers are using this data to help them better understand tornadoes and lead to further improvements in tornado warning skill.
In 2009, the VORTEX2, or
V2
, "armada" roamed more than 10,000 miles across the southern and central Plains from May 10–June 13, 2009.  Data were collected on 11 supercells, including one tornadic supercell.
VORTEX2 research teams made science history by strategically deploying all instruments on a tornadic supercell.  Detailed data were collected from 20 minutes before the tornado formed until it faded away.  This tornado is now the most intensely examined tornado in history.
VORTEX2 operations for 2010 were conducted May 1- June 15.
Results from VORTEX2 will be evident in the coming years as researchers study the collected data and use it to enhance cloud models needed for the new
warn-on-forecast effort
That Weather Show: VORTEX2
View on Youtube.com
VORTEX2 was funded by the
National Science Foundation
(NSF) and the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
(NOAA). Partners included:
Rasmussen Systems
The Center for Severe Weather Research
(CSWR)
National Severe Storms Laboratory (NSSL)
Penn State University
(PSU)
The University of Oklahoma
(OU)
OU Cooperative Institute for Mesoscale Meteorological Studies (CIMMS)
OU Center for the Analysis and Prediction of Storms (CAPS)
The University of Colorado
(CU)
North Carolina State University
(NCSU)
Texas Tech University
(TTU)
National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR)
Lyndon State College
University of Massachusetts
Environment Canada
University of Nebraska
(UNL)
Purdue University
University of Michigan
State University of New York at Oswego
Australian Bureau of Meteorology
Finnish Meteorological Institute
ProSensing, Inc.
VORTEX2 Info
V2 Home
V2 Background
V2 Team
V2 Vehicles & Instruments
V2 Science
V2 Media Resources
V2 Educational Resources
V2 Blog and Gallery
Related Links
VORTEX @ NSSL
NSSL Field Projects
VORTEX2: What's New in 2010?
View on Youtube.com
Join Sean Waugh on a tour of the NSSL vehicle bay as he explains what's new in the fleet for 2010.
Three Questions With Dr. Lou Wicker
View on Youtube.com
Dr. Lou Wicker of NSSL answers three questions about the VORTEX2 project.