Mesoscale convective vortex
Encyclopedia
A mesoscale convective vortex (MCV) is a low-pressure center within an mesoscale convective system
(MCS) that pulls winds into a circling pattern, or vortex. With a core only 30 to 60 miles (96.6 km) wide and 1 to 3 miles (4.8 km) deep, an MCV is often overlooked in standard weather analysis. But an MCV can take on a life of its own, persisting for up to 12 hours after its parent MCS has dissipated. This orphaned MCV will sometimes then become the seed of the next thunderstorm outbreak. An MCV that moves into tropical waters, such as the Gulf of Mexico, can serve as the nucleus for a tropical storm or hurricane.
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Mesoscale Convective System
A mesoscale convective system is a complex of thunderstorms that becomes organized on a scale larger than the individual thunderstorms but smaller than extratropical cyclones, and normally persists for several hours or more...
(MCS) that pulls winds into a circling pattern, or vortex. With a core only 30 to 60 miles (96.6 km) wide and 1 to 3 miles (4.8 km) deep, an MCV is often overlooked in standard weather analysis. But an MCV can take on a life of its own, persisting for up to 12 hours after its parent MCS has dissipated. This orphaned MCV will sometimes then become the seed of the next thunderstorm outbreak. An MCV that moves into tropical waters, such as the Gulf of Mexico, can serve as the nucleus for a tropical storm or hurricane.
May 2009 Mid-Mississippi Valley MCV
On Friday, May 8, 2009, a major MCV dubbed an "inland hurricane" incorrectly by local media moved through Southern Missouri, Southern Illinois, Western Kentucky, and Southwestern Indiana, killing at least 6 and injuring dozens more. Damage estimates were in the hundreds of millions. Top speeds of 106 mi/h were reported in Carbondale, IllinoisCarbondale, Illinois
Carbondale is a city in Jackson County, in the state of Illinois, within the Southern Illinois region. It is located at the junction of Illinois Route 13 and U.S. Route 51, southeast of St. Louis, Missouri, on the northern edge of the Shawnee National Forest...
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