What Is Debris Ball?
A small round blob of strong radar echo at the tip of a hook echo, made by debris lofted by a tornado. It is strong evidence a tornado is on the ground. In technical terms: A compact, roughly circular reflectivity maximum (often 45-60 dBZ or more) collocated with a velocity couplet at the end of a hook echo, caused by lofted debris; confirmed by a coincident correlation coefficient minimum (tornadic debris signature).
Also called: TDS, Tornadic Debris Signature
Debris Ball In Plain English
A small round blob of strong radar echo at the tip of a hook echo, made by debris lofted by a tornado. It is strong evidence a tornado is on the ground.
The Technical Definition
A compact, roughly circular reflectivity maximum (often 45-60 dBZ or more) collocated with a velocity couplet at the end of a hook echo, caused by lofted debris; confirmed by a coincident correlation coefficient minimum (tornadic debris signature).
