Radar signatures#radar#tornado#velocity
TVS — Tornadic Vortex Signature
Also: TVS
At a glance
A radar-detected circulation tight enough, low enough, and strong enough that the algorithm flags it as likely tornadic.
Deep dive
A TVS is a specific WSR-88D algorithm output: a velocity couplet that meets thresholds on shear (gate-to-gate velocity difference), depth (persistent across multiple elevation scans), and low-level presence (extending down to 0.5° or lower).
TVS flags don't guarantee a ground tornado — radar beam widens with range, and low-level rotation at 50 km is smeared across hundreds of metres. But a persistent TVS sitting on top of a hook echo is a strong nowcast signal.