Peering superficially from the inflow region into an occluding low-level mesocyclone, the observer first might suspect a tornado in the dark column. It’s just a plume of heavy rain, maybe some hail—part of the rear-flank downdraft wrapping around the near side of the circulation. A subsection of the RFD (the occlusion downdraft) slices the left-rear part of the cloud base nearly in two with a crescent of sinking air: the clear slot. While moving near and nearly parallel to US-412 in northern Oklahoma, this supercell had produced a small, weak tornado, but by this time, had begun moving over a cooler air mass. Though the storm was doomed, it would have a last burst of CG lightning.
7 ESE Garber OK (8 Apr 11) Looking NW
36.3978, -97.4797412 Storm
Peering superficially from the inflow region into an occluding low-level mesocyclone, the observer first might suspect a tornado in the dark column. It’s just a plume of heavy rain, maybe some hail—part of the rear-flank downdraft wrapping around the near side of the circulation. A subsection of the RFD (the occlusion downdraft) slices the left-rear part of the cloud base nearly in two with a crescent of sinking air: the clear slot. While moving near and nearly parallel to US-412 in northern Oklahoma, this supercell had produced a small, weak tornado, but by this time, had begun moving over a cooler air mass. Though the storm was doomed, it would have a last burst of CG lightning.
7 ESE Garber OK (8 Apr 11) Looking NW
36.3978, -97.4797