A hook echo is displayed on radar reflectivity. It is a signature produced by precipitation held aloft that wraps around the mid-level mesocyclone. Since the mesocyclone has counterclockwise winds, the reflectivity signature of a hook echo will have a cyclonically shaped hook. The area free from reflectivity inside the hook is the updraft and inflow notch region of the supercell. A hook echo is one clue to a radar operator that a supercell has a potential of producing a tornado. Many of the violent tornadoes associated with classic supercells will show a distinct hook echo. Below is an instructional webpage showing a hook echo and many other supercell related features. http://www.spc.noaa.gov/faq/tornado/radscel.htm |