Meteorological Charts for Bengal Tornado Cases
Jonathan D. Finch

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Main Page
Convective Outlooks
Elevated Mixed Layer
Special Cases for the United States
Bengal Tornadoes--background information
Historical Tornado Tracks for Bangladesh and East India
Assessing Instability on the Front Range Without Upper Air Data
Latitudinal Comparison of the Geostrophic Wind Approximation
Potential Temperature and Mixing Ratio--Contributions to CAPE on Elevated Terrain



    I am in the process of re-doing all the surface maps below. The maps that have been updated have a red star. Keep in mind that
    the surface wind is suspect at some of the sites such as Bogra and Ishurdi.
 
    Here is a map with the most of the tornadoes plotted(except for the extremities of Bangladesh and coastal and Assam India).
 
Date # Fatalities Surface 500mb reanalysis  500mb  Jet(200mb) reanalysis
250 or 200 mb
sounding hodograph Jet region
04-07-1888 118, 70 05Z
05-12-51 300 12Z 12Z exit
03-19-61 210 12Z 0Z   12Z 12Z 12Z    12Z exit
03-10-63 20 12Z 12Z exit
04-19-63 139 12Z 12Z  06Z    12Z    12Z exit
04-11-64 500 maxes 00Z 10th 12Z 12Z jetlet off of main branch
04-16-67 77 12Z 12Z 12Z exit
04-19-67 12 00Z 12Z 12Z exit
05-01-67 30 12Z 12Z 12Z exit
03-20-68 20 06Z 00Z 12Z 12Z exit
04-03-68 42 09Z 0Z 2   0Z 3  12Z 12Z 12Z entrance
04-11-68 121 12Z 00Z    12Z  12Z 12Z not defined
04-14-69 600, 320 12Z 00Z    12Z   06Z    12Z  06Z     12Z jetlet off of main branch
04-17-69 84 12Z 12Z 12Z  06Z     12Z jetlet off of main branch
04-28-69 8 12Z entrance
04-13-70 37 12Z 12Z exit
04-01-72 200 00Z 12Z 12Z not defined
04-05-72 75 12Z 12Z north of region
04-29-72 300 12Z 00Z 12Z 12Z    12Z exit
04-12-73 200 00Z 12Z 12Z north of region
but approaching
04-17-73 681 12Z  12Z 12Z    12Z exit
05-09-76 1 12Z entrance
04-01-77 500 12Z 12Z 12Z exit
04-07-77 2 12Z not defined
04-15-77 10 12Z entrance
04-16-78 173 09Z   * 12Z 12Z exit
04-18-78 128 06Z 12Z 12Z jetlet off of main branch--exit
03-01-81 15 12Z 12Z   12Z  exit
04-12-81 200 06Z   * 00Z 06Z 06Z exit
04-17-81 120 09Z 00Z 12Z 12Z exit
04-12-83 50 06Z 00Z 06Z 06Z entrance
04-24-83 25 06Z exit
04-14-86 100 09Z   * 12Z 12Z exit
04-26-89 1300 12Z 00Z   12Z 12Z 12Z 12Z exit
04-28-89 12 09Z 00Z 12Z 12Z exit
04-20-90 76 12Z 00Z 12Z 12Z not defined
04-29-90 19 12Z 12Z 12Z entrance
05-07-91 45 06Z 00Z 12Z 12Z exit
05-18-91 50 06Z 00Z 06Z 06Z jetlet off of main branch
01-08-93 50 00Z 12Z 12Z entrance
04-09-93 145 12Z 00Z 12Z 12Z entrance
04-08-95 40 06Z 00Z 12Z 00Z 12Z exit
05-13-96 700 06Z  * 12Z 12  00Z 12Z 12Z 00Z 12Z App. App. exit
03-24-98 250 09Z 12Z   00Z 12Z 12Z exit
04-22-03 40 06Z 12Z 12Z ??
05-04-03 31 06Z 12Z 12Z 12Z exit
04-14-04 75 06Z  09Z  12Z 00Z 12Z 12Z  00Z    app. exit
03-20-05 50-65 12Z 12Z 12Z 12Z exit

List of credits

Pedler and Crombie, 1888
Petersen and Mehta, 1981
Pakistan Observer
Amrita Bazar Patrika
Mowla, 1969
Bangladesh Observer
Ahmed, 1977
Ghosh, 1982
Journal of Meteorology(British)
OFDA/CRED disaster database
Ono, 1997
Misra et al., 1996
Minneapolis Star Tribune
Associated Press
Tom Grazulis "Significant Tornadoes"