About

Jana Houser is an Associate Professor and the Director of Undergraduate Studies in the Department of Geography at The Ohio State University. She specializes in radar analysis of tornadoes and supercell thunderstorms using state-of-the-art mobile radar observations. Her research focuses on the formation and evolution of tornadoes, particularly examining storm-scale processes that influence tornado production and behavior. She investigates how variations in terrain and land cover, which serve as proxies for friction, impact tornado intensity, path, and evolution. Dr. Houser is funded by the National Science Foundation to study the interaction of tornadoes with the ground beneath, addressing how topography and land cover affect tornado characteristics. She has authored numerous peer-reviewed journal articles related to tornadoes and supercells, most published by the American Meteorological Society. Her educational background includes a Ph.D. in Meteorology from the University of Oklahoma, an M.S. in Meteorology from the same institution, and a B.S. in Meteorology from Pennsylvania State University. Dr. Houser's work aims to answer fundamental questions about tornado rotation, the influence of terrain on tornado behavior, and the conditions that differentiate storms that produce tornadoes from those that do not.

Research topics

• Computer Science
• Remote sensing
• Mathematics
• Geology
• Geography
• Geometry
• Meteorology

Selected publications

• Atmospheric Muon Measurements Near Tornadic and Non-Tornadic Storms in the US Central Plains

  ArXiv.org · 2026-01-28

  articleOpen access

  Tornadoes and other severe weather hazards affect thousands of people every year. Despite this, the details surrounding tornadic processes including formation, decay, and longevity are not well understood, partially due to limitations of available instrumentation. Measurements of atmospheric pressure within tornadic systems currently rely almost entirely on in-situ instrumentation, and no existing techniques can provide two-dimensional spatial information of the atmospheric density field. Atmospheric muons may hold a solution to this problem: muons are attenuated by matter, and tornadic storms are large regions of low atmospheric density, suggesting that tornadic storms induce a directional perturbation on the atmospheric muon flux. Measurements of this perturbation could then be used to infer the density field associated with severe weather. Simulations of these systems indicate that a robust measurement of the atmospheric density field would require a relatively large muon detector, however smaller detectors may be able to detect ambient muon flux perturbations if the storm is large and intense enough. This paper presents results from a pilot field study that measured the atmospheric muon flux near tornadic storms during May 2025, including directional measurements of the muon flux near tornadic mesocyclones and a measurement of the muon flux near the base of a forming tornado.

  PublisherOA PDF

• Atmospheric Muon Measurements Near Tornadic and Non-Tornadic Storms in the US Central Plains

  Open MIND · 2026-01-28

  preprint

  Tornadoes and other severe weather hazards affect thousands of people every year. Despite this, the details surrounding tornadic processes including formation, decay, and longevity are not well understood, partially due to limitations of available instrumentation. Measurements of atmospheric pressure within tornadic systems currently rely almost entirely on in-situ instrumentation, and no existing techniques can provide two-dimensional spatial information of the atmospheric density field. Atmospheric muons may hold a solution to this problem: muons are attenuated by matter, and tornadic storms are large regions of low atmospheric density, suggesting that tornadic storms induce a directional perturbation on the atmospheric muon flux. Measurements of this perturbation could then be used to infer the density field associated with severe weather. Simulations of these systems indicate that a robust measurement of the atmospheric density field would require a relatively large muon detector, however smaller detectors may be able to detect ambient muon flux perturbations if the storm is large and intense enough. This paper presents results from a pilot field study that measured the atmospheric muon flux near tornadic storms during May 2025, including directional measurements of the muon flux near tornadic mesocyclones and a measurement of the muon flux near the base of a forming tornado.

  DOI

• An Analysis of Radar Distance in TVS Detection and Tornado Warning Efficiency

  Journal of Operational Meteorology · 2026-02-26

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  The National Weather Service (NWS) uses radar observations as the primary data source for tornado warning decision making, as they are the only tool available to safely and remotely identify the storm-scale rotation that is commonly associated with tornado formation. However, effective radar operation necessitates scanning at an angle above the horizon to avoid ground clutter from obstacles such as trees, buildings, and small hills. A natural consequence of this requirement is that the radar’s sample volume becomes progressively higher above the ground with increasing distance from the radar. This effect becomes detrimental to the prediction and detection of tornadoes and the precursory near-ground rotation that indicates tornadogenesis is imminent, especially when tornadoes form in a non-descending manner. The inability of the radar to detect a low-level mesocyclone or a near-ground Tornadic Vortex Signature (TVS) may render radar data inadequate when an NWS Weather Forecast Office (WFO) is considering whether or not to warn on a potentially tornadic storm. However, to date, there have been no concentrated efforts to investigate the direct relationship between radar observational capabilities and tornado warning accuracy. This study analyzes the presence of TVSs, tornadogenesis times and locations, warning issuance, and lead time of tornado warnings issued by the NWS. Furthermore, comparisons are made between tornadoes that occurred “near” (0–50 km) and “far” (50–160 km) from the radar to investigate the relationships between tornado warning issuance, TVS detection, storm mode, and distance between the tornado and the radar. Three Midwest NWS WFOs were selected: Charleston, West Virginia, Wilmington, Ohio. and Indianapolis, Indiana, due to the somewhat equal fractions of Quasi-Linear Convective System (QLCS) and supercell tornadoes, with results compared to data from Norman, Oklahoma, because of its notable tornado frequency. Results suggest that TVSs are better detected and tornadoes are more accurately warned at closer distances to Weather Surveillance Radar-1988 Doppler (WSR-88D) radars and WFOs in the combined sample of all surveyed WFOs. Furthermore, TVS detection, warning issuance, and lead time are found to be dependent on storm mode. However, results for individual WFOs vary.

  PublisherDOI

• An Ultrafine-Resolution Numerical Investigation of the Influence of Terrain on Tornado Behavior

  Monthly Weather Review · 2026-02-20

  article

  Abstract This study investigates the effects of idealized and realistic terrain on tornado characteristics and behavior. It uses a novel simulation approach, nesting a high-fidelity, ultrafine-resolution, tornado-scale, engineering large-eddy simulation (LES) within a Cloud Model 1 (CM1) simulation of a tornadic supercell. We analyze the effects of terrain on the tornado’s central pressure, horizontal and vertical velocities, vortex shape, and path. Seven idealized terrain configurations are used including 1) a control run with flat ground, 2) and 3) an idealized hill with steep and gradual slopes having the height of 25.4 m, 4) and 5) an idealized escarpment with steep and gradual slopes having the height of 25.4 m, and 6) and 7) an idealized hill having heights of either 50 or 65 m. Furthermore, a real-world, complex terrain configuration of the same height is analyzed as the eighth case. Results suggest that the presence of terrain relief increases the central pressure deficit, the peak wind speed, and the width of the high wind speed region in the tornado swath, enhancing tornado intensity and causing path deviation. Specifically, the horizontal and vertical velocities at 10 m above ground level (AGL) are stronger with terrain and the location of the maximum pressure deficit occurs along the uphill segment for all idealized cases except the steep hill. The precise location of the maximum wind velocities and pressure deficits varies with the terrain shape and slope. The real terrain simulation is similar to the idealized terrain simulations to a certain extent; however, the vertical velocities are lower and the strongest winds occur over a smaller region, demonstrating the complexity of the tornado–terrain relationship. Significance Statement This high-resolution numerical study investigates the effects that idealized hills and escarpments have on tornadoes and offers a comparison with a real-world, complex terrain configuration. This study is particularly novel for three reasons: 1) The nested simulation approach with an ultrafine inner grid (spacing of 0.01 m) facilitates a high-fidelity vortex simulation which reflects the variability of a real-world tornado in time and space, at a reasonable computation cost; 2) the ultrafine-scale LESs resolve turbulent features to this spatial scale and facilitate better characterization of tornadic winds; and 3) an experiment having real-world, complex terrain is successfully executed for the first time in tornado research (to the authors’ knowledge). Results suggest that terrain generally causes tornadoes to become stronger and wider than they otherwise would have been if the ground were flat. However, another important result is that the effects of the real-world, complex terrain on the tornado are not the same as those from simplified terrains.

  PublisherDOI

• Atmospheric Muon Data Taken Near Thunderstorms on May 16, 2025

  Open MIND · 2026-02-11

  datasetSenior author

  This dataset contains atmospheric muon data collected during the field deployment of a mobile, 1.5 square meter muon detector near tornadic storms on May 16, 2025. Files include timestamps of detector triggers during storm observation periods, control data taken under clear skies, and calibration data for correcting for detector roll angle.

  DOI

• Weather in my life: Jana Houser

  Weather · 2024-12-13

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Supercell Tornadogenesis: Recent Progress in Our State of Understanding

  Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society · 2024-04-18 · 13 citations

  articleOpen access

  Abstract Over the last decade, supercell simulations and observations with ever-increasing resolution have provided new insights into the vortex-scale processes of tornado formation. This article incorporates these and other recent findings into the existing three-step model by adding an additional fourth stage. The goal is to provide an updated and clear picture of the physical processes occurring during tornadogenesis. Specifically, we emphasize the importance of the low-level wind shear and mesocyclone for tornado potential, the organization and interaction of relatively small-scale pretornadic vertical vorticity maxima, and the transition to a tornado-characteristic flow. Based on these insights, guiding research questions are formulated for the decade ahead. Significance Statement This article provides a nontechnical overview of how tornadoes form. Sequentially, the most important processes include the initial creation of rotating updrafts, the development of disorganized patches of rotation at the surface, the organization of these patches into a more defined, symmetric vortex, and the final transition into a fully developed tornado in which air turns abruptly upward very near the surface. Based on this proposed conceptual model, guiding research questions are formulated for the decade ahead.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Midwest tornadoes: What a decaying El Niño has to do with violent storms in the central US

  2024-04-29

  article1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• What do tornadoes look like on the inside?

  2022-05-02

  preprint1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• Seperti apa bentuk tornado dari dalam?

  2022-07-06

  preprint1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

Frequent coauthors

• Jeffrey C. Snyder

  NOAA National Severe Storms Laboratory

  64 shared

• Howard B. Bluestein

  60 shared

• Kelly M. Butler

  NOAA National Severe Storms Laboratory

  29 shared

• Michael M. French

  Stony Brook University

  28 shared

• Nathaniel McGinnis

  Stony Brook University

  26 shared

• Kyle J. Thiem

  University of Oklahoma

  23 shared

• Pavlos Kollias

  Stony Brook University

  3 shared

• Dylan W. Reif

  University of Oklahoma

  3 shared

Awards & honors

• Ohio University Jeanette Graselli Brown Faculty Teaching Awa…
• University Professor award
• College of Arts and Sciences Award for Outstanding Research…
• Ohio University Honor’s Tutorial College Outstanding Mentor…