Mesovortex
Videos
A mesovortex is a small-scale rotational feature found in a convective storm, such as a quasi-linear convective system, a supercell, or the eyewall of a tropical cyclone. Mesovortices range in diamete
Mesovortices visible in the eye of Hurricane Emilia in 1994.
Mesocyclone
Videos
A mesocyclone is a meso-gamma mesoscale region of rotation, typically around 2 to 6 mi in diameter, most often noticed on radar within thunderstorms. In the Northern Hemisphere, it is usually located
Mesovortex
…are a significant factor in the formation of tornadoes after tropical cyclone landfall. Mesovortices can spawn rotation in individual thunderstorms (a mesocyclone), which leads to tornadic activity. At landfall, friction is generated between the circulation of the tropical cyclone and land. This can allow the…
A mesocyclone (at left) in the Central Zone of the city of Piracicaba, in southeastern Brazil, on January 28, 2025
Supercell diagram with the mesocyclone rotation in red
Mesocyclones are sometimes visually identifiable by a rotating wall cloud like the one in this thunderstorm over Texas.
A tornado developing under a wall cloud within a mesocyclone near Falcon, Colorado