Using tornado climatology to help plan a Doppler radar network

Using the tornado climatology and population statistics for Canada, a method of ranking population centres is proposed. Using as a basis a list of cities and census divisions ranked by population-weighted tornado incidence (a measure of risk), a first estimate is made of where to site 22 Doppler radars. It is estimated that this network will provide protection to about 82% of Canada's population.     

Canadian tornadoes, 1950–1979

Abstract

Other than the ground‐breaking work of McKay and Lowe (1960), little has been known about the incidence of tornadoes and the risk of tornado damage in Canada. Data concerning tornadoes during the period 1950 to 1979 (and earlier) have been gathered from many sources and processed to arrive at a set of quantitative conclusions concerning some of their physical characteristics and climatology.

The data indicate that tornado incidence (the number of tornadoes per unit area per unit time) in populated sections of Canada is compatible with the incidence values published for adjacent American States, and that the highest annual probability of tornado damage is in southwestern Ontario (0.05 to 0.1%) followed by southeastern Manitoba (0.05%).

In terms of size, the Canadian tornado (regardless of intensity) has median damage dimensions of 6 km in length, 80 m in width, and 1 km² in area. In southwestern Ontario, the return period of a strong or violent tornado is 5 years, and it is likely to have median damage dimensions of 57 km in length, 790 m in width, and 78 km² in area.     

Observing the reconnection region in a transequatorial loop system

A vertical current sheet is a crucial element in many flare/coronal mass ejection (CME) models. For the first time, Liu et al. reported a vertical current sheet directly imaged during the flare rising phase with the EUV Imaging Telescope (EIT) onboard the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO). As a follow-up study, here we present the comprehensive analysis and detailed physical interpretation of the observation. The current sheet formed due to the gradual rise of a transequatorial loop system. As the l...