mesocyclone

American  

[mez-uh-sahy-klohn, mes-, mee-zuh-, -suh-] / ˌmɛz əˈsaɪ kloʊn, ˌmɛs-, ˌmi zə-, -sə- /

noun

Meteorology.

1. a small cyclone that arises near a thunderstorm and is sometimes associated with the occurrence of tornadoes.

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Etymology

Origin of mesocyclone

First recorded in 1970–75; meso- + cyclone

Example Sentences

The mighty mesocyclone that was responsible for both tornadoes was embedded within a line of storms that passed the region.

From Washington Post • Dec. 28, 2021

In these potentially tornado-spawning storms, the mesocyclone begins to extend toward the ground, narrowing as it does.

From Scientific American • Dec. 14, 2021

Shearing winds tilt the top of the surviving vortex, causing cool rain to fall away from the warm surface air fueling the newly born mesocyclone, letting the supercell purr like a finely tuned engine.

From National Geographic • Dec. 28, 2015

By A mesocyclone tornado, a violently rotating column of air that descends from a thunderstorm.

From Slate • Apr. 2, 2012

Meteorologists call this rotating upward-moving mass a mesocyclone, and thunderstorms that contain them are known as supercells.

From New York Times • May 25, 2011