Analytical and empirical models of tornado vortices: A comparative study

Abstract Tornadoes are generally defined as rotating columns of air characterized by small size, axisymmetry and short duration. Thus, the nature of tornadic wind load is basically different from that of synoptic wind. As direct measurements of velocities are very difficult and limited, lots of empirical and theoretical expressions of tornadic wind have been proposed. In the present study, characteristics of several numerical expressions were investigated, and it was found that the characteristics of velocity fields vary widely from model to model, making it difficult to choose one that is generally applicable.