Tornado funnel - Rankine vortex plan view (2D)Switch to 3D
Experiment: measured vs predicted

In cyclostrophic balance dp/dr = rho v^2 / r. For a Rankine vortex this gives a central pressure deficit of about rho Vmax^2. The check integrates the balance numerically from 60 Rc inward and compares with the closed form.

The science

The Rankine vortex joins solid-body rotation inside the core, v = Vmax r/Rc, to an irrotational flow outside, v = Vmax Rc/r. Far from friction the radial momentum balance is cyclostrophic: dp/dr = rho v^2/r, which gives a pressure deficit p_inf - p(0) = rho Vmax^2 (for 60 m/s and rho = 1.2 kg/m3 about 43 hPa) and a core vorticity 2 Vmax/Rc.

Debris is carried around by v(r) and drifts inward and upward with the inflow and updraft sliders; heavier pieces drift in faster. The displayed rating maps peak wind to the Enhanced Fujita wind bands.

Simplifications: no boundary-layer detail, no two-celled structure or suction vortices, and the pressure deficit of a real tornado is usually smaller than the ideal value. Educational model, not a forecast.