As a major tornado approached Lubbock, Texas, meteorologists and storm chasers were amazed by what they saw on a radar screen.
It has been a stormy start to June across the central United States, and one of the strongest storms of the week spawned a large tornado on Thursday afternoon that stunned storm chasers on the ground and people watching events unfold online.
AccuWeather Meteorologist and Storm Chaser Tony Laubach filmed a large wedge tornado grinding through farm fields near Morton, 50 miles northwest of Lubbock, Texas. Meanwhile, research scientists from University of Oklahoma had set up its high-resolution RAXPOL radar nearby.
What the radar operators and storm chasers saw astounded them. A hurricane-like swirl with an eye appeared on the radar as the large tornado touched down. This is what a classic hook echo looks like in high resolution…