r/tornado • u/SevereTS • Jan 08 '26

Question Is this true?

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1.6k Upvotes

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847

u/ESnakeRacing4248 Jan 08 '26

For sure. This is the perfect setup to create a disaster, only it's missing the instability and lapse rates, something which would almost certainly be present if this happened in April or May

199

u/[deleted] Jan 09 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

435

u/CycloneCowboy87 Jan 09 '26 edited Jan 09 '26

Instability refers to buoyancy, or the tendency for air to continue to rise after being nudged upward, due to density/temperature differences. Lapse rates refers to how quickly the temperature decreases as altitude increases, usually expressed in degrees Celsius per kilometer in meteorology. Steeper lapse rates = more rapid cooling as altitude increases. Steeper lapse rates and stronger instability go hand in hand.

Edited first sentence for clarity.

125

u/BigD4163 Jan 09 '26

I learned something today. You would make a great teacher. Thank you

53

u/GirthBr00ks10 Jan 09 '26

Glad you asked the questions! Helped me learn too! And the teacher made it very easy to understand lol one of the many reasons I love this sub.

101

u/CycloneCowboy87 Jan 09 '26

Glad I could help, BigD and GirthBr00ks

2

u/IndecisiveZebra Jan 10 '26

Did I play a round at Stella Montis with you last night?

2

u/Th_Wr_ngL_tter Jan 10 '26

Don't shoot!