Mesocyclone

Time lapse compilation of best mesocyclones and supercells resembling flying saucers, alien crafts and motherships. All Cinematography and Music by Pecos Hank.

From the details of the video by Pecos Hank:

WHAT IS A MESOCYCLONE?

The engine of the strongest and most dangerous thunderstorms and the bringer of the most intense tornadoes on Earth is the mesocyclone. When a thunderstorm develops in an atmosphere with strong changes of wind speed and/or direction with height, the updraft may twist and rotate as a vertical column becoming a mesocyclone. The effects of this mesocyclone on storm clouds can appear otherworldly with wind sculpted structures resembling flying saucers, alien crafts hovering below the storm base or invading motherships casting ominous shadows.

The presence of a mesocyclone can enable a thunderstorm to persist for hours as a supercell. Technically, “mesocyclone” is a term used for radar analysis defining storm-scale rotation in convective storms that meets specific magnitude, vertical depth and duration.

– Cyclonically rotating vortex in a convective storm
– 2-10 km in diameter
– Vorticity 10-2 S-1 or greater

When Doppler radar detects a mesocyclone exhibiting intensifying rotation, a tornado warning may be issued. Most mesocyclones don’t produce tornadoes. Sometimes they produce small brief tornadoes. Sometimes they summon enormous, long-lived monsters. Mesocyclones are often accompanied by frequent lightning activity that is especially evident at night. On May 25th, this year in New Mexico storm chasers gawked for hours as an almost stationary supercell delivered an out-of-this-world light show.

BONUS music track

Decades ago, I had an LP (look it up in case you don’t know what that is). It was mood music. The Mystic Moods Orchestra – One stormy night (1966).

I often put it on at low volume to drift off to sleep.