mesocyclone
noun
me·so·cy·clone
ˌme-zə-ˈsī-ˌklōn 
ˌmē-,
-sə-ˈsī-
: a rapidly rotating air mass within a thunderstorm that often gives rise to a tornado
Examples of mesocyclone in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Other field campaigns followed, but scientists still haven’t definitively answered why some supercell thunderstorms create tornadoes while others don’t progress beyond a mesocyclone.
—
Carolyn Wilke, Smithsonian Magazine, 1 Nov. 2023
Why there weren’t tornadoes What this squall line did not contain was small pockets of rotation called mesocyclones, which breed tornadoes.
—Dan Stillman, Washington Post, 30 July 2023
Exceptionally strong wind shear — winds that change in direction or speed with altitude — is needed for mesocyclones to develop, but the strongest shear Saturday afternoon remained well north of the region; there were tornadoes reported in New England.
—Dan Stillman, Washington Post, 30 July 2023
At one point, three distinct mesocyclones, or areas of rotation — each of which could have spawned a tornado — were orbiting one another.
—Matthew Cappucci, Washington Post, 20 Apr. 2023
Vertical wind shear can enable the midlevels of the storm to rotate, and upward suction from this mesocyclone can intensify the rotation within the storm's outflow into a tornado.
—CBS News, 3 Apr. 2023
Some research suggests that a wider mesocyclone is more likely to create a stronger, longer-lasting tornado than other storms.
—CBS News, 3 Apr. 2023
That helped stoke the storm’s updraft, contained within its mesocyclone.
—Jason Samenow, Washington Post, 5 July 2022
The mesocyclone was not the tornado, per se, that tracked through Bowie.
—Jason Samenow, Washington Post, 5 July 2022
Carolyn Wilke, Smithsonian Magazine, 1 Nov. 2023
Why there weren’t tornadoes What this squall line did not contain was small pockets of rotation called mesocyclones, which breed tornadoes.
—Dan Stillman, Washington Post, 30 July 2023
Exceptionally strong wind shear — winds that change in direction or speed with altitude — is needed for mesocyclones to develop, but the strongest shear Saturday afternoon remained well north of the region; there were tornadoes reported in New England.
—Dan Stillman, Washington Post, 30 July 2023
At one point, three distinct mesocyclones, or areas of rotation — each of which could have spawned a tornado — were orbiting one another.
—Matthew Cappucci, Washington Post, 20 Apr. 2023
Vertical wind shear can enable the midlevels of the storm to rotate, and upward suction from this mesocyclone can intensify the rotation within the storm's outflow into a tornado.
—CBS News, 3 Apr. 2023
Some research suggests that a wider mesocyclone is more likely to create a stronger, longer-lasting tornado than other storms.
—CBS News, 3 Apr. 2023
That helped stoke the storm’s updraft, contained within its mesocyclone.
—Jason Samenow, Washington Post, 5 July 2022
The mesocyclone was not the tornado, per se, that tracked through Bowie.
—Jason Samenow, Washington Post, 5 July 2022
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'mesocyclone.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near mesocyclone
Cite this Entry
“Mesocyclone.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mesocyclone. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.
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