Storm/Weather/Tornado terms we'd like to see

[Eric Flescher]

Well Adam had this good one so I thought why not post other terms stormchasers would like to use (good weather, bad weather, etc etc)

Post your own -include the term, whom you attribute to (yourself or others) and the definition

Happy definitions 2008
and the first drum roll please thanks Adam
**
with permission created by Adam Lucio
Crapvection
often times ruining the days setup etc etc etc....
Leftover and often times dying convection from the previous days storms [often in MCS/C form] that moves through a potential target area in the late morning or early afternoon, ruining the days setup for potential stronger, more severe development later in the day.

(and if you want to add my local bias [most common in northern Illinois!!!!!] lol)

[Joel Wright]

Parasitic Convection... Basically any convection that gets in the way of the storm or storms you are either after or hoping will develop. This can range from a squall line down near the gulf robbing deep moisture to the storms (or potential storms) to the north. Or it can be convection that develops in an area that will affect the storm you're on.

[jeremy wilson]

The infamous Sherrifnado. The elusive tornado that magicaly appear only when the sherrifs cruiser passes. Bag one of these as a chaser and you enter the legendary catagory.

[Laura Duchesne]

Scudnado - A piece of scud that has a funnel-like appearance but isn't a true funnel.

[Jeff Miller]

"Orvilles"

heat of the day convection that is scattered. AKA "Popcorn" storms

"We've got some Orvilles popping up!"

[Heidi Farrar]

methnado
noun
Any non-tornadic cloud protuberance that is reported to weather agencies as a funnel cloud or tornado; reporter must demonstrate some degree of intoxication for a methnado to be confirmed.


Closely related to the Sheriffnado, but certainly not altogether the same, is the methnado. In certain areas of the country, methnados can be quite common on days with a low cloud deck and 40ish temperatures. They are always reported to TV meteorologists, usually during the mid-afternoon hours, with the expectation being that the aforementioned meteorologists will conduct an emergency weather break-in ceremony during Dr. Phil or Oprah. Methnado reporters, it should be mentioned, always hold aspirations of providing an on-air telephone interview during said emergency weather break-in coverage, so as to alert one and all to the severity of the impending methnado doom in their area.

[Alan Broerse]

STRATUSCRAPAMONGUS....Pronounced (stratus-crap-among-us) Not latin...........Meaning: A cloud deck of junky stratus clouds that prohibits or slows thunderstorm development.....or.....in the case of daytime tornadogenesis, stratuscrapamongus is needed sometimes...but limits visibility of finding tornadoes to a mile because the low deck of clouds.

[Dennis Sherrod]

methnado
noun
Any non-tornadic cloud protuberance that is reported to weather agencies as a funnel cloud or tornado; reporter must demonstrate some degree of intoxication for a methnado to be confirmed.


Closely related to the Sheriffnado, but certainly not altogether the same, is the methnado. In certain areas of the country, methnados can be quite common on days with a low cloud deck and 40ish temperatures. They are always reported to TV meteorologists, usually during the mid-afternoon hours, with the expectation being that the aforementioned meteorologists will conduct an emergency weather break-in ceremony during Dr. Phil or Oprah. Methnado reporters, it should be mentioned, always hold aspirations of providing an on-air telephone interview during said emergency weather break-in coverage, so as to alert one and all to the severity of the impending methnado doom in their area.

Heidi,
Is that a regional term or would that fit into the same class as our Alabama term of Beernado?

[Terry Tyler]

i dont really name things other then they are, but thats the only thing i have a name for...

out here, usually with some of our classic set-ups we get a layer of stratus that sits over the whole area...i usually just refer to it as a "blanket layer" cause its kinda like a big old blanket i guess...similar to alens post, i cant stand a blanket layer...makes chasing dangerous and less photogenic...also throws off the instability params abit...

cant say i really ever thought about making my own term up, but thats one ive just used...

[Heidi Farrar]

Heidi,
Is that a regional term or would that fit into the same class as our Alabama term of Beernado?

It is my feeling that, while strikingly similar in all respects, the Beernado and Methnado are not necessarily the same pseudo-meteorological phenomenon. It might be best to think of them as members of the same subset. Since there is no clear-cut distinction between the two by definition, it is urged that sweeping generalizations be employed in crunch time; as such, at these times the terms may be used interchangably. It's all the same to the lay-person anyway. However, it is likely that methnados would be more rampant than beernados in some areas of widespread alcohol restriction.

When the time comes for revisions to the official methnado definition, I will be sure to suggest a "see also: Beernado" at the end of the methnado description.

[Gerrit Gulden]

Some creative words here. The word that stuck out the most to me was "Crapvection", seems to happen alot during the Monsoon season.

My brother in law tends to make fun of my knowledge of Clouds and there proper names and every time he see's a Cumulinimbus he yells "cumulumbombus", its pretty funny.

If I was to make up a Storm/Weather/Tornado term I would have to go with

"slightriskachangis" - Pronounced (slight-risk-a-change-is) Meaning you go to bed after seeing Your area in Bulls Eye of Slight Risk for the next day and wake up to the Slight Risk no longer covering your area.

Cant stand that, lol.

-gerrit

[Dann Cianca]

I like to say "snow on the roof" referring to overshooting tops.

eeee look at me, I'm so creative. ;)

[Chris Sokol]

"Tornado on the Ground"---As opposed to?

[Michael Ratliff]

As we say in da ghetto " Ill bust a CAP on ya !" ????

[Michael Thompson]

Two I use here in Australia all the time

Suppercell
Not in any way related to a supercell. Suppercells refer to weak convection that cannot support itself after sunset - therefore all over by supper time !

Anvilus Maximus
Another perhaps misleading term, not to be used for big strong anvils. Anvilus Maximus is instead those anvils that occur in right mix of upper humidity and light upper winds, so that anvils spread and persist, effectively killing off convection over a wide area.

[Shane Adams]

Spinergy

Using the theory that all tornadoes have a certain, "pre-set" amount of spin to work with, this refers to said amount of 'spin'.

(n) "That tornado roped out forever...it had a ton of spinergy."

[Damon Scott Hynes]

"Training"--not the common usage, but when you drive 200 miles, your storm craps out or never got going in the first place, find the nearest railroad mainline and start taking train pictures!

[Bobby Eddins]

"Spotter Frogs" - When we see lot's of locals out in their "Spot" Spotting.

"Door Pong" - A game using the door's of those leaving their door's open while watching shelf clouds, etc.

"Pucks" - Individuals who left their door open. Used in Door Pong.

Note: The second 2 are really games we try to avoid.

[Darrin Rasberry]

TCAP TOR or TCAP - "Thunderstorm CApable of Producing a tornado." Easier to say on written reports and in discussion, since these are so common.

Yard Trash - Storms that are non-severe and are destined to remain so in a potentially severe area, or that are non-severe and stay non-severe in the vicinity of a severe storm. Throwback from my Everquest days where the term was used to apply to time- and resource-wasting battles before the really big fight.

Field Goal Bust - Chasing and busting in an area where severe weather is occurring both too far north and too far south (or the "crossbars") of your location.

White-Sky Bust - An expected severe chase where storms do develop, but all remain only yard trash. Worse than a blue-sky bust because you're tempted to stay around longer and waste more gas chasing storms that never turn severe, or at least interesting.

Thencasting - going back home at the end of the day, looking at a radar, and realizing the dumb mistakes you made on a chase gone wrong.

[Michael Thompson]

Visible CAPE

That steam you see rising from a hot road surface after a brief convective shower

[Dennis Sherrod]

I want to add this one: ROADKILL

This is the jerk who was standing in the middle of the road with his arms crossed, blocking all the traffic near Bonham, TX today with 5 car load of chasers on the side of the road. He was wearing shorts and a long sleeve jacket?? in 80 degrees, blocking traffic or trying to slow all the cars down, looking like he was daring anyone to run over him or go by more than 5 miles per hour.

Professional Elite.

[Darrin Rasberry]

Some more I thought of as I was waiting bored for my students to finish the marathon departmental Cal II final today.

Google Chaser - My own term for the academic bunch opposing the Yahoo Chaser. They like to know all of the information possible, and they have the setup in and on top of their vehicle to prove it. I know this one's probably been termed before, but I can't find that old thread.

Yoohoo Chaser - Like Quagmire at a night club, this chaser, whatever the setup philosophy is, is happy with everything on a not-totally-bust chase. They'll drive 2000 miles to, around and from Southern Oklahoma and return honestly satisfied - even after the gas money evaporates - after seeing structure and large hail from one storm. Even considers busts "learning experiences." Myself included.

Vampire Chaser - Has problems sleeping, so when storms roll through late-night that don't pose a serious threat, they'll hop in to do some local spotting at four in the morning and don't mind in the least that the sun is rising when they return, just to pass the time more than anything. Also favored as drivers because they can head back home late at night while all the normal folks sleep. Guess who's one of these?

Pigpin Chaser - You know the type. Their car hasn't been washed since the end of last Spring, old school papers are so piled up in the backseat that he can't take more than one person along, and always has to take a minute to "clean" the front seat to fit you in. Guilty as charged.

Optimist Chaser - Says "and hey, we'll return with five tornadoes and hippopotamus-sized hail!" even though the setup calls for a smaller event. Usually done tongue-in-cheek to lift spirits.

Howard Cosell chaser - I think I had this in the earlier chaser terms thread. Their videos have tons of excited play-by-play style commentary.

Pessimist Chaser - Will call off a high risk because of one questionable parameter. Usually a temporary term to almost all of us when a good local setup happens and we have to work.

[Heather Moser]

Dewpointy - an adjective describing the moist, heavy feeling of air in the warm sector

[Dennis Sherrod]

The Italian phrase - Dafunsalow translated as: The funds are low.

I can't chase this week because dafunsalow.

[Dann Cianca]

The Soup Being a drylander, The Soup would be any occasion that I'm on the wet side of the dryline. I don't even know how you wetlander people can see an inch in front of your face.

Boom Tower or Boom Castle Cb

Shouldn't have eaten the shelf-ish When a storm is poisoned by outflow.

Gettin' shelfy Again, outflow-dominate.

That guy (Don't be) So there's this guy I know that has never gone storm chasing in his life. However, he has modified his truck to be a storm chasing vehicle, more antennae than a cicada hatch, flashing lights, and tons of bumper stickers (most of them proclaiming how he is a dangerous storm chaser) ... also has tons of pictures of "wall clouds" from his bedroom window that are really just shelf clouds or just look ambiguous ... and plenty of tales of how he saw a tornado one time but didn't have his camera.

[David Draun]

Snowpercell: Elevated supercell thunderstorm in a near freezing surface environment. Looks awesome on radar for the time of year, but tornadogenesis is highly unlikely. Precipitation can fall as freezing rain, sleet, or a rain-snow mix. I witnessed one of these here in north central IL back at the beginning of February. I believe there were about 4 snowpercells on radar for a short time.

The ol'Chicago Split: I saw this term in a KLOT AFD referring to severe weather development in the CWA. Usually happens in situations where the best shear is to the north, and the best instability is to the south. Meaning all the time!! Severe storms end up developing in southern Wisconsin and south of I-80 into NW Indiana. An Izzi term.

Sloppy Seconds: Another KLOT AFD term used to describe when the CWA is in a severe weather risk due to left-overs of the previous day's activity. Initiation of new storms is unlikely due to convective cloud debris, and what storms are strong will likely weaken once they move north of I-80 and east of I-39, only to re-intensify in IN and MI. Yet another Izzi term.

[Dann Cianca]

Minesweeping Like corepunching, but purposely looking for the largest hail possible.

[Jason Boggs]

Next time you go out chasing, make sure you check the BFI.

http://img378.imageshack.us/img378/8097/craneej8.png

[Michael Ratliff]

LMFAO Jason that made my nite!!!! How about

" place-aya-handsbe-hindyo-back"???

[david diehl]

Awsome Jason, Just awsome, Got me laughing

[Mike Peregrine]

LOL ... these are hilarious. Jason's just put me over the edge.

There's always a hatched probablistic on Crane County, unfortunately. 35% or greater chance of a Barney within 25 miles of a point.

[Andrew Stoller]

One of the funniest terms I've ever heard was in a video tribute to Eric Nguyen: "what do you think that is?"

Eric's response: "I don't know..............it's a....Gust Meso"

I use it all the time now - visible rotation on a gust front.

[David Wolfson]

Two new ones for this yearly sniglet thread:

scunnels - ephemeral dynamic low cloud formations associated with a storm updraft that are rotating and persistent when wearing rose colored glasses

chasing trees - stormchasing in the Ozarks and gulf coast states, e.g. most of May, 2008, to date.

[Mike Peregrine]

Hail smog - the grayish blue haze that gathers around chasers' dented up vehicles who haven't replaced a muffler since 1989.

Anticyclown - that one drunk latch-on chaser who always follows you after you go through a small town in Iowa. (His attempt to drive may be described as "anticyclownic.")

Doo-point - the ability to use one's hair as a meaningful gauge as to whether you have approached the dryline or not.

Green House Effect - the air quality experienced in one's home after eating too many burritos during a long day of chasing.

Mesosfear - mental condition of the first-time chaser who decided to start chasing on the date you happen to intercept the storm of the year.

[Bob Hartig]

Commitment Boundary: The tendency of tornadic supercells to fire up within maddeningly easy reach along the edge of an unbreakable commitment. There's no more certain way of guaranteeing that even the most hopeless scenario will blossom into convective Armageddon than to lock in an obligation on the calendar.

I've promised to dog-sit this weekend for my mother and sister while they're attending a funeral. How could I say no? I also happen to notice a buildup of 2,000+ CAPE and 60's Tds in western Illinois/northeast Missouri on Sunday. Keep your eyes on it. I don't care that it's all on the far backside of a low and that the surface and 850 mb winds are blowing straight from the west. You think that stuff matters in the face of a commitment boundary? Ha. If you're a Great Lakes-based chaser, you might as well start putting on the Rain-X now. Your day is coming at last.

[Laura Duchesne]

Mesoscale accident (term coined by Erik Rasmussen): Tornadoes are so rare (or develop when not expected) that they become mesoscale accidents.

Bird Fart Thunderstorms (term coined by Chuck Doswell): Typical 30 minute garden variety thunderstorms, non severe. Not favored by chasers.

RFD Coming Down: Your chase partner farts in the car and you need to roll down the windows to air it out. Not a rear flank downdraft we like to have.

Snownado: A possible side effect of SDS. Chaser swears they see snow whirling on the ground like a tornado during a snowstorm but no one believes them.

[Chad Cowan]

Shelfish- as in, "This stupid storm is being shelfish."

[Adam Lucio]

Snownado: A possible side effect of SDS. Chaser swears they see snow whirling on the ground like a tornado during a snowstorm but no one believes them.

That is hilarious!!! back in January when we had that insane 50 degree temperature plunge followed by 40mph sustained winds I actually sat near a field to watch these spin up. They are very real!!!

In addition to Crapvection I also use the term Scuddly duddly which simply refers to scud that doesn't appear to be rising into the base.

[Dann Cianca]

Shelfish- as in, "This stupid storm is being shelfish."

Kind'a got that one already Chad ... ;)



Old 05-07-2008, 10:28 PM
Shouldn't have eaten the shelf-ish When a storm is poisoned by outflow.

Gettin' shelfy Again, outflow-dominate.

[Joel Wright]

Mushing out. When a squall line begins to weaken, by either undercutting itself or moving into an area with reduced instability. On radar the once crisp, solid reflectivities take on a "mushy", less solid appearance. Usually the first sign that the squall line is on it's way to becoming a future outflow boundary.

[Chad Cowan]

Kind'a got that one already Chad ... ;)

Ah, well played sir. I meant 'shelfish' like selfish. Like the storm is doing only what it wants to do instead of tighten up and drop a tube like I want it to.

[Chad Cowan]

Joules (CAPE) - Those cirrus clouds are stealing our joules!

[Bryan Trachier]

Slot Machine - [n] A hail core that dispenses penny to quarter-sized hail. As in: "We've got a slot machine over Highway 287, we better cut to the east to avoid hitting this jackpot."

Grapefruit Tree - [n] A hail core that is producing grapefruit-sized hail. As in: "We better not go any further north or we'll be underneath the grapefruit tree."

Tasmanian Devil - [n] Alternate terminology for a dust devil. As in: "That's not a tornado, it's just a Tasmanian Devil."

[Tony Cook]

Bluescreen - a laptop's tendency to crash at pivotal moments in the chase. Can be used as a verb.

Delorme's Geodetic Deficiency Syndrome (DGDS) - A condition whereby the afflicted becomes so dependent on GPS and mapping software, that he/she loses all ability to comprehend or use paper maps.

When a patient with DGDS also suffers an ill-timed bluescreen, disastrous results can ensue.

Chaser 1: Oh no. The storm is right-turning, and our east road ends here! Which way should we go?

Chaser 2 (DGDS sufferer): I don't know. I've just been bluescreened!

TonyC (DGDS support group chairperson)

[David Wolfson]

... And another in honor of today's synoptics:

CREPE - Confused Really Elusive Potential Energy

[fplowman]

VSC = Very Scary Cloud.
A buddy of mine used to tease me with that.

[Dann Cianca]

Treasure Hunters - Chasers that go out with more equipment than the Ghostbuster mobile.

Marker Sniffers - Chasers that wouldn't see a tornado between the headlights if there wasn't a TVS marker on their radar.

S*** The Bed - When a storm's outflow cuts off its inflow.

Thunder T**s - Mammatus clouds.

The Haunted House - Weld and Morgan Counties in Colorado where tornadoes are frequently reported but never caught on film.

The Sistine Chapel - Looking up into the vault during a night-time storm.

Border Patrol - Different state, different speed limit, less money in the bank account.


MODS ... I'm pushing the envelope with a couple. Feel free to delete if you find them inappropriate.

[Susan Strom]

Here's a little one I made up about 10 years ago to remember the recipe for a storm:

SMILE
Shear, Moisture, Instability, Lift and Energy = Yay.

Good times.

[Kem Poyner]

"Hashbrowns" If the SPC shows a hatched area on the map for the possibility of F2-F5 tornados, my brother would always say "We got hashbrowns!". Though he is gone, I use that term still. Kem

[Jeff Bartlett]

Duke = A vague reference to the Dukes of Hazzard. A duke occurs when you intentionally or unintentionally get air under all four tires on a gravel or dirt road. Most are accidental and not done intentionally. Although I have many near-Dukes, I accidentally achieved my first one on 5-13-08 south of Prague, OK.

"Man, did you see me Duke over that bridge about three miles back?"

Note: Not to be confused with a bowel-movement.

[Fabian Guerra]

How many terms have you heard to describe a shortwave? I didn't invent it but the term "dingus in the flow" works for me.

[Daniel Christianson]

Negative Red and Blue Chase: Meaning being chased by law enforcement while chasing a storm and not even knowing he was behind you WITHOUT the lights on":D

[Daniel Christianson]

Stormgasm- JK guys wont even go there lol

[Erik Burns]

Heres one I use. Never heard anybody else use . " Nonadoes". NO-NADOES

It's an illness chasers suffer after a bad season, chase, or inbetween seasons.

[Brian Stertz]

Tornado black...the deep bruised look to the sky in the immediate vicinity of a large violent tornado. The look is one that I never forget.

[Mark Sefried]

"Swirly twirlies" : Those darn little quick dust swirls that form on a storms outflow that are gustnado wannabies. I suppose it could also be a drunken rednecks term for a tornado, lol. :D

[Daniel Christianson]

[quote=Dann Cianca;178120]Treasure Hunters - Chasers that go out with more equipment than the Ghostbuster mobile.


Thunder T**s - Mammatus clouds. ( I guess that is mother natures way of flashing us"

lol ahhhhh.

[Dann Cianca]

[
Thunder T**s - Mammatus clouds. ( I guess that is mother natures way of flashing us"

lol ahhhhh.

So you're riding a long and you see the mams and think, wow, what a sexy storm! Then it drops a tornado and you go home confused and feeling very, very dirty.

[David Wolfson]

... and another as I ponder the model forecasts just coming in for next week:

Beta Block - Not an Omega block, not a Rex block, but a hybrid blocking pattern that causes one's heart to skip (ref. beta blockers) as one contemplates targeting somewhere or other between Canada and south Texas.

[Doug Mitchell]

I'd like to see "the suck zone" become a legit term.

[David Draun]

How many terms have you heard to describe a shortwave? I didn't invent it but the term "dingus in the flow" works for me.


LOL, yes I remember that. You, me, and Steve Mirsky were talking about a small vort-max moving into the panhandles. I had used the word "dingus" earlier that day, so Steve looks at that tiny vort-max and refers to it as a "dingus in the flow.":D

I think that dingus was responsible for that beautiful tornadic supercell in KS on May 22nd 2007. ;)

[Tim Shriver]

SDS - Supercell Deprivation Syndrome..
A condition that mostly occurs during the dark and dreary months
when supecell development is few and far between.

Renegade - Cell that takes off in a different direction then the cells around it.
Sometimes with a wobble to it.

Snownado - The weather event that is wished for by those suffering
from SDS.

[David Draun]

Cumuloboomulo: (I forgot who came up with this one.) A dry thunderstorm with a lot of lightning but most of the precip evaporates before reaching the surface.

CIN'ed: (kind of religious sounding, but still funny) A promising updraft abruptly blocked by the capping inversion is said to have "CIN'ed"

[j_r_hehnly]

StalkerNetwork: The GRLevelX placefile from AllisonHouse that allows people to track you down and then follow you.

[Dennis Sherrod]

CAP - Continous Arterial Pulsations (All CAPITAL letters must be used)

We experienced some major CAP from getting too close to the big one.

[Melanie Kern-Favilla]

I haven't created any of these myself, but...

Dopplernado

Cappus Crappus Busticus

Cumulus Crappulanus

Fun. :)

Melanie

[Chad Cowan]

Tropical Depression- Medical condition; severe form of Supercell Deprivation Syndrome. Symptoms include but are not limited to: checking NHC website before and more often than SPC, staring mindlessly at IR WV and Vis loops of something thousands of miles away, looking at GFDL and HWRF model runs before GFS and NAM, cursing the satellite eclipse period, spending more time at ErnUSWX than ST.

[Joel Wright]

Snake in the Rain- Tornado that is partially, or totally obscured by rain.

[Shane Adams]

Beer Chase Describes a bust in progress that becomes apparent well before dark.

i.e., "Well gentlemen, this is a beer chase....let's find a bar."

It's important to note that the Beer Chase can balk on those rare occasions when major events initiate after sunset. Case in point May 4, 2007. We found ourselves two beers deep into a "Beer Chase" when the Greensburg storm's couplet first appeared on velocity scan...thank goodness we took the laptop inside. Another case was June 3, 2001, when we decided to ignore the Beer Chase warning and waited it out...and had a tornado just after dusk while most were eating dinner.

[Bart_Comstock]

Porcupine - Chasers who have more antennas on their car roofs than quils on a real porcupine. (this term may be substituted with hedgehog.... if a porcupine is caught driving like their tails are on fire can be called "sonic" and their Klingons (see below) "tails." )

Klingon - The rookie chasers or local yocals or thrill seekers that latch on to the DOW or "porcupine" chasers in hopes of seeing the finger of good.

[Eric Sipes]

Fognado: A scary situation where a supecell is primarily obscured by fog while a tornado is being reported on the ground.

Walt Gish, Johnny Hall, and I ran into this situation this spring near Big Spring, TX. We could only get a few glimpses of an otherwise beautiful elephant trunk while trying to stay out of the way. I can't remember the exact date but, all day there were tornado warned cells all along and south of I-20 from Fort Stockton to Abilene. The only problem was very low clouds, occasional thick fog, Baron was out, motions were near 45, etcetera. Murphy kicked our a$$es that day.

Can anyone remember the exact date?

-Eric

[Jason Boggs]

Not too stray off topic too far, but I think it was April 9th

[Adam Lucio]

FailCu...or fcu...

Cu towers that try...and try....and try so hard to become something more than a rain maker, but just cant do it. Pictured below.
http://a490.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/125/l_e3e9ef8757f273c4ec440e38947afae9.jpg

[Eric Sipes]

Not too stray off topic too far, but I think it was April 9th

That'd be the one.

-Eric