System and method for tornado prediction and detection

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9453940-B2
Application number	US-201414435937-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 14, 2014
Priority date	Mar 15, 2013
Publication date	Sep 27, 2016
Grant date	Sep 27, 2016

Abstract

The presently disclosed inventive concepts are directed, in at least one non-limiting embodiment, to a computer system and method for issuing a tornado-indicative notification, such as a warning. In one embodiment the method includes receiving time sequential radar reflectivity data from an area undergoing a weather event, via at least one computer port and at least one processor executing processor executable code, analyzing the radar reflectivity data of the area to determine if an entropic source and an entropic sink are present in the area, determining a distance between the entropic source and the entropic sink when the entropic source and the entropic sink are present in the area, and outputting a tornado-indicative notification for the area when the distance between the entropic source and the entropic sink is less than or equal to a predetermined distance.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A computer system, comprising:
at least one processor operably coupled with a non-transitory computer medium storing processor executable code, which when executed by the at least one processor causes the at least one processor to:
(a) receive a first signal from at least one computer port, the first signal indicative of radar reflectivity data of an area at a first time;
(b) receive a second signal from the at least one computer port, the second signal indicative of radar reflectivity data of the area at a second time;
(c) analyze the radar reflectivity data of the area at the first time and the radar reflectivity data of the area at the second time to determine if an entropic source and an entropic sink are present in the area;
(d) determine a distance between the entropic source and the entropic sink when the entropic source and the entropic sink are present in the area;
(e) output a tornado-indicative notification for the area when the distance between the entropic source and the entropic sink is less than or equal to a predetermined distance; and
(f) output a signal indicative of a supercell detection in the area in response to the distance between the entropic source and the entropic sink being greater than the predetermined distance.

2. The computer system of claim 1 , wherein the predetermined distance is less than or equal to about 1 kilometer.

3. The computer system of claim 1 , wherein the distance between the entropic source and the entropic sink is measured from a center of the entropic source and a center of the entropic sink.

4. The computer system of claim 1 , wherein the second time is less than about 75 seconds after the first time.

5. The computer system of claim 1 , wherein the second time is less than about 60 seconds after the first time.

6. The computer system of claim 1 , wherein the radar reflectivity data is selected from phased array radar data, polarized radar data, dual polarized radar data, and Doppler radar velocity data.

7. The computer system of claim 1 , wherein the tornado-indicative notification is displayed on a map, a television, a monitor, a computer screen, a cell phone, or a mobile communication device.

8. A computer system, comprising:
at least one processor operably coupled with a non-transitory computer medium storing processor executable code, which when executed by the at least one processor causes the at least one processor to:
(a) receive a first signal from at least one computer port, the first signal indicative of radar reflectivity data of an area at a first time;
(b) receive a second signal from the at least one computer port, the second signal indicative of radar reflectivity data of the area at a second time;
(c) analyze the radar reflectivity data of the area at the first time and the radar reflectivity data of the area at the second time to determine if an entropic source and an entropic sink are present in the area;
(d) in response to an entropic source and an entropic sink being present in the area, determine if a transition between a baroclinic state and a barotropic state is occurring in the area; and
(e) output a tornado-indicative notification for the area when a transition between a baroclinic state and a barotropic state is occurring in the area.

9. The computer system of claim 8 , wherein the processor executable code, when executed by the at least one processor, further causes the at least one processor to output a signal indicative of a supercell detection in the area when it is determined that a transition between a baroclinic state and a barotropic state is not occurring in the area.

10. The computer system of claim 8 , wherein the second time is less than about 75 seconds after the first time.

11. The computer system of claim 8 , wherein the second time is less than about 60 seconds after the first time.

12. The computer system of claim 8 , wherein the radar reflectivity data is selected from phased array radar data, polarized radar data, dual polarized radar data, and Doppler radar velocity data.

13. The computer system of claim 8 , wherein the tornado-indicative notification is displayed on a map, a television, a monitor, a computer screen, a cell phone, or a mobile communication device.

14. A computer system, comprising:
at least one computer port, and at least one processor operably coupled with a non-transitory computer medium storing processor executable code, which when executed by the at least one processor causes the at least one processor to:
(a) receive a signal from at least one computer port, the signal indicative of time-sequential radar reflectivity data for an area; and
(b) analyze the time-sequential radar reflectivity data of the area to determine if an entropic source and an entropic sink are present in the area;
(c) in response to an entropic source and an entropic sink being present in the area, determine if a transition between a baroclinic state and a barotropic state is occurring in the area; and
(d) output a tornado-indicative notification for the area when a transition between a baroclinic state and a barotropic state is occurring in the area.

15. The computer system of claim 14 , wherein the processor executable code, when executed by the at least one processor, further causes the at least one processor to:
(e) determine a distance between the entropic source and the entropic sink when the entropic source and the entropic sink are present in the area; and
(f) output a tornado-indicative notification for the area when the distance between the entropic source and the entropic sink is less than or equal to a predetermined distance.

16. A method of issuing a tornado-indicative notification, comprising:
(a) receiving, by at least one processor executing processor executable code, a first signal from at least one computer port, the first signal indicative of radar reflectivity data of an area at a first time;
(b) receiving, by the at least one processor executing processor executable code, a second signal from the at least one computer port, the second signal indicative of radar reflectivity data of the area at a second time;
c) analyzing the radar reflectivity data of the area at the first time and the radar reflectivity data of the area at the second time to determine if an entropic source and an entropic sink are present in the area;
(d) determining a distance between the entropic source and the entropic sink when the entropic source and the entropic sink are present in the area;
(e) outputting a tornado-indicative notification for the area when the distance between the entropic source and the entropic sink is less than or equal to a predetermined distance; and
(f) outputting a signal indicative of a supercell detection in the area in response to the distance between the entropic source and the entropic sink being greater than the predetermined distance.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the predetermined distance is less than or equal to about 1 kilometer.

18. The method of claim 16 , wherein the distance between the entropic source and the entropic sink is measured from a center of the entropic source and a center of the entropic sink.

19. The method of claim 16 , wherein the second time is less than about 75 seconds after the first time.

20. The method of claim 16 , wherein the second time is less than about 60 seconds after the first time.

21. The method of claim 16 , wherein the radar reflectivity data is selected from phased array radar data,

Assignees

• Univ Oklahoma

Inventors

• Sasaki Yoshi K

Classifications

• G01W1/10 Primary

  Devices for predicting weather conditions (computers per se G06; display devices G09) · CPC title

• G01S13/95

  for meteorological use · CPC title

• Y02A50/00

  in human health protection, e.g. against extreme weather · CPC title