A mesocyclone is a rotating updraft

Position 1: Early identification of this signature typically gives forecasters between ten and twenty minutes to issue tornado warnings to the public.

Position 2: It develops when horizontal wind shear in the atmosphere is tilted into the vertical plane by a powerful convective updraft.

Position 3: Doppler radar is the primary tool meteorologists use to detect mesocyclones, because it can measure the diverging and converging wind velocities that indicate rotation.

Position 4: A mesocyclone is a rotating updraft within a severe thunderstorm that can serve as the precursor to a tornado.

Position 5: As the rotating column of air tightens and accelerates due to the conservation of angular momentum, it may eventually extend downward toward the surface.