News Environment

Satellite imagery reveals ‘hidden’ tornado tracks

The analysis could help researchers study storms that strike in the winter

A satellite view of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, with a clear tornado track carving through the city

A tornado left this track when it ripped through Tuscaloosa, Ala., on April 27, 2011. But not all twisters leave such unambiguous scars.

Google Earth, GeoEye

By Katherine Kornei

When a strong tornado roars through a city, it often leaves behind demolished buildings, broken tree limbs and trails of debris. But a similarly powerful storm touching down over barren, unvegetated land is much harder to spot in the rearview mirror.