Convective environment and development of a tornadic supercell in the Czech Republic on 24 June 2021

Abstract

This study documents the atmospheric conditions and the development of a tornadic supercell in the Czech Republic, which occurred on the early evening on 24 June 2021. I used the data from the ERA5-reanalysis, vertical atmospheric sounding, synoptic map, and a Sentinel-2 satellite image to determinate the tornado route. As a result of the analysis, it can be concluded that the development of this tornadic supercell was caused by high CAPE values, amounting to around 5, 000 J·kg -1 , 0-6 km AGL wind shear 30 m·s -1 , storm-relative helicity with values of 150 m 2 ·s -2 and a wavy atmospheric front. The tornado occurred around 19:30 local time (1730 UTC) in the town Hru š ky and moved north-east, reaching the town Hodonín. Based on satellite image derived from Sentinel-2, the widest point of the tornado reached 70 meters; it traveled a distance of about 20 kilometers and had a force of EF3/T5 on the Fujita/TORRO scale. As a result of this event, 6 people lost their lives, 200 people were seriously injured, and hundreds of buildings and cars were destroyed. Further studies on strong thunderstorm incidents in Europe are necessary for their better understanding and prediction.