[Skywarn] Tornado Fighters

[Greg Williams]

I wanted to throw this nugget of amusement out to the skywarn group.  The
following remarks are commentary I made on my SKYWARN web site at
http://www.etskywarn.net and I have included additional links in the
commentary below for more information.

Enjoy.

Greg, K4HSM


There is a web site I wanted to mention only because there are those out
there who take storm chasing to the extreme.  Apparently, the person running
this web site in particular thinks he can eliminate tornadoes by using
high-powered missiles shot at the vortex of a funnel!!!  The web site is
called Tornado Fighters (http://tornadofighters.com/home.html) and it is
definitely a far-fetched idea.

Apparently this guy is not a physics major, and neither am I really, but, he
is probably under the same mindset as those who think we can eliminate
Hurricanes by using nukes in the eye.  One particular FAQ (Frequently Asked
Questions) at URL
http://www.usatoday.com/weather/resources/askjack/archives-hurricane-science.htm
on the subject explains why we don't use nuclear weapons to destroy
hurricanes. Quite simply, there's not a nuke big enough to disperse the
energy in even the smallest hurricane.  One critical note states as follows:

The National Hurricane Center notes that a hurricane releases heat energy at
a rate of 50 trillion to 200 trillion watts. This is the equivalent of a
10-megaton nuclear bomb exploding about every 20 minutes.

So, the practicality of using nuclear weapons in hurricanes is no longer
feasible, not to mention the radioactive fallout that would subsequently be
generated that becomes part of that hurricane and the danger it would pose
upon landfall.

The same can be said of the idea with bombing tornadoes.  First off, a
missile works on aerodynamics as well as propelled velocity.  The closer the
missile would get to the tornado, the more intense the crosswinds (winds
perpendicular to the missile) and the more difficult the missile would be to
steer, either by its own guidance or by ground control.  Therefore, if a
missile were to approach, it would have to more or less go "upwind" of the
funnel before detonation.  However, upon detonation the missile blows apart,
and guess what?  The fragments of the missile in effect become hundreds, if
not thousands, or tiny pellet-like missiles themselves now caught in the
vortex and hurled at high velocity towards whatever is in its path.

Second, let's say that the missile detonates in the correct location.  Well,
as with a hurricane, a Tornado generates enough strength, not just in the
visible funnel, but in the entire mesocyclone area around the smaller, more
concentrate vortex, to be completely unaffected by the blast.  The only
device capable of even having some effect would be a nuclear missile.  But
do we want to launch nukes?  No.  We are not amputating our arm because we
get a hangnail.  And again, the fallout from the blast would shower down
over the entire weather system and would be a danger to a much larger area,
potentially killing more people over a wider area than just a smaller, more
concentrated damage path from the tornado itself.  Even a high-calibur,
non-nuclear detonation could cause more damage to the surrounding area than
the tornado itself, and would have little effect on stopping a tornado.

The author wants to use C-4 to stop the funnel.  While itself being a
high-powered explosive, again, it has little effect upon the entire
mesocylone, and even if the funnel were to be disrupted, the overall
mesocyclone would most likely generate another tornado, and we are back to
square one.

So, is the guy a nutcase?  Well, I'm not a psychiatrist, so I don't know.
You have to credit him with some "outside the box" thinking.  However, his
approach is far too dangerous, and practically useless to be effective.

Greg Williams
k4hsm@lock-net.com

Tis often better to be silent and thought a fool rather than to speak and
remove all doubt.
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