Air circulation in a supercell thunderstorm, including the rear flank downdraft
The rear flank downdraft (RFD) is a region of dry air wrapping around the back of a mesocyclone in a supercell thunderstorm.[1] These areas of descending air are thought to be essential in the production of many supercellular tornadoes. Large hail within the rear flank downdraft often shows up brightly as a hook on weather radar images, producing the characteristic hook echo, which often indicates the presence of a tornado.[1]
^ abNational Weather Service. "A Comprehensive Glossary of Weather Terms for Storm Spotters". NOAA. Retrieved 2010-05-24.
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The rearflankdowndraft (RFD) is a region of dry air wrapping around the back of a mesocyclone in a supercell thunderstorm. These areas of descending...
rain-free updraft base or main updraft (not visible to radar). The rearflankdowndraft, or RFD, carries precipitation counterclockwise around the north...
Flight 441 — airplane crash linked to severe downdraftRearflankdowndraft and forward flankdowndraft Thermal Park, Chris (2007). A Dictionary of Environment...
with it an area of quickly descending air known as the rearflankdowndraft (RFD). This downdraft accelerates as it approaches the ground, and drags the...
it is more dense and sinks down behind the cloud and forms the rearflankdowndraft, drying the mid-level portion of the back of the cloud. The two currents...
proximate to the tornadic region, generally within the supercell rear-flankdowndraft (RFD) outflow, are comparatively rare. Even rarer are mesonet datasets...
are associated with the forward flankdowndraft (FFD). Shelf clouds in supercells also form with the rearflankdowndraft (RFD), although these tend to...
known as a mesocyclone. For a tornado to form in this manner, a rear-flankdowndraft enters the center of the mesocyclone from the back. Cold air, being...
with it an area of quickly descending air known as the rearflankdowndraft (RFD). This downdraft accelerates as it approaches the ground, and drags the...
slot or dry slot (informal term) – an evaporation of clouds as a rearflankdowndraft descends and dries out cloud and occludes around a mesocyclone. Cloud...
RedFlagDeals.com, a Canadian bargain hunting, coupon, and forums website. Rearflankdowndraft, an area of quickly descending air associated with rotating thunderstorms...
a low-level boundary, tornadogenesis is highly unlikely unless a rearflankdowndraft occurs, which is usually visibly evidenced by evaporation of cloud...
toward the surface by dynamical processes in a thunderstorm (see rearflankdowndraft).[citation needed] Most downbursts are less than 4 km (2.5 mi) in...
struck and some injured by this tornado and its parent supercell's rearflankdowndraft (RFD). While chasing severe storms, a vehicle driven by Randall Yarnall...
trees were damaged or snapped. In total, 30 people were injured. Rearflankdowndraft winds upwards of 90 mph (140 km/h) continued through Temple. EF1...
with it an area of quickly descending air known as the rearflankdowndraft (RFD). This downdraft accelerates as it approaches the ground, and drags the...
changes or effects on the tornado itself from factors such as its rearflankdowndraft. A change of direction proved deadly in the 2013 El Reno tornado...
main updraft core. Typically a tornado, if present, will form in this area. This is called a RearFlankDowndraft and can be a sign of tornado genesis....
these funnel clouds. Brief funnels also are observed with some rearflankdowndrafts (RFDs) (within inflow or outflow areas, and especially within inflow-outflow...
Alabama, causing considerable damage at a local festival grounds. Rearflankdowndraft winds away from the Rehobeth tornado killed four people when a large...
mesocyclones located near the interchange of the rotating updraft and the rearflankdowndraft (RFD). Hail; if the updraft is strong enough to produce an overshooting...
a significant downdraft. The tornado was estimated to have touched down around 5:40 pm along the north side of the rear-flankdowndraft. Moving along...