NATIONAL VERSION OF SATT 3.0

 

The SATT 3.0 program, developed by VorTek, LLC (VORTEK) in conjunction with APT Research, Inc. (APT), represents a user-friendly software package, operating in a Windows environment, for quickly and accurately displaying and analyzing tornado data for any portion of the United States, excluding Alaska.  SATT 3.0 currently contains all National Weather Service (NWS) data from 1950 through 2005, and is updated annually. 

Two versions of the SATT 3.0 software are currently available:

       National Version - the 48 contiguous states plus Hawaii
       Regional Version - Primary State plus all neighboring states

In the National Version of SATT 3.0 the user can obtain an analysis of all tornadoes passing within a specified radius of any given location, within the 48 contiguous states plus Hawaii.

Because the National Version of SATT utilizes NWS data, the accuracy of results generated by the software is limited by the accuracy of these data.  The NWS data extend back to 1950, and thus, tornadoes occurring before that year are not included in the analysis.

The user can limit the analysis geographically to a specific Region of Interest and can also limit the analysis, in terms of time, to specific hours, months, or years.  Given such inputs, the software generates a series of Output Displays, both graphical and tabular.  These outputs include the following:
 

    • Graphical Output
      • Annual Distribution by Intensity
      • Annual Distribution by Time of Day
      • Annual Distribution by Month
      • Annual Distribution by Year
      • Tornado Track Display
        • Color-Coded by Intensity
        • Identified by Month and Year
        • State Boundaries Displayed
      • Threat Sector Plots (Color-Coded by Frequency)
      • Annual Coverage Fraction (ACF)
      • Tornado Threat Contour Plot
        • Generated for Individual State
        • Color-Coded by Probability (ACF) Level
      • Population Density Map
        • Generated for Individual State
        • Color-Coded by Population Density
    • Tabular Output
      • Summary of the average annual number of tornadoes distributed by
        • Intensity
        • Hour
        • Month
      • Summary of tornadoes distributed by year
      • Listing of the NWS data within the Region of Interest
      • Annual Coverage Fraction (ACF) 
      • Analysis of Direction of Approach of Tornadoes in Terms of Threat Sectors

In some cases the path of a tornado may extend across several counties and/or states.  For such a case the path may be divided into segments.  Because the characteristics of a tornado may vary from segment to segment, each segment is counted as a separate tornadic event.

Because the National Version of the SATT 3.0 software is based entirely on historical data, it is not suited for predicting the occurrence of a tornado at a specific point at a specific time in the future.

The National Version of the SATT 3.0 software has a number of applications.  For purposes of weather reviewing it provides a clear, accurate display of pertinent characteristics of tornadoes for a specific region.  For purposes of weather analysis it provides a basic, flexible tool which allows the user to quickly evaluate the behavior of previous tornadoes in a given region, and compare one region with another, especially with regard to tornado probability.  For purposes of weather education SATT 3.0 provides a means of explaining to the general public all available weather data pertaining to tornadoes, and thereby raising the general awareness of the threat posed by tornadoes within a given region.

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VorTek LLC
715 Arcadia Circle Huntsville, Alabama 35801
(256) 533-9371 Fax: (256) 533-9325 E-mail: vortek@mindspring.com