We have a very good understanding of thermodynamics and instability, but we just don't know quite how they're interacting with each other at these finite scales that a tornado is operating in. Just photographs from the public can be incredibly helpful. There's no new physics being brought about by a tornado. The laws of physics are very well understood. We just need to see at these smaller scales how they interact to create the tornado.
2023 has been a record-setting year for tornadoes, and these storms came with barely any warning. So to better understand tornadoes, scientists might need to confront more of these storms head-on.
This episode originally ran on July 12, 2021.
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