Doppler radar-derived wind field of five tornado events with application to engineering simulations

Among the nine volumetric samples, two show single-celled characteristics, vortex breakdown bubble is evident in one and four demonstrate two-celled vortex characteristics. The radial profiles of the tangential velocity are in good agreement with a modified Rankine vortex model. The variation of maximum tangential velocities with height is very different when compared to the velocity variation in typical atmospheric boundary layer flows. The swirl ratios of the tornado volumetric samples are computed using the flow rate through the updrafts and the maximum circulation in the flows.