Low frequency sounds from tornadoes

It has been well established that tornadic storms can generate infrasound (i.e., sound at frequencies below human hearing) signals, but the mechanism of sound generation is still a mystery. There is speculation that these infrasound signals have the potential to serve as an alternative method for alerting and/or tracking of life-threatening tornadoes. Yet, until the mechanism for infrasound generation is understood, it remains a possibility that the infrasound signals are present due to other storm effects and would be improper to use for tornado warning or tracking. One possible explanation for the infrasound signals is an amplification of turbulent fluctuations due to latent heat production. This presentation will detail laboratory efforts to isolate noise production from turbulent structures with and without latent heat production due to condensation of water in saturated warm air. [This work was supported by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, grant DOI 10.37807/gbmf11559.]