Information About Tornadoes

916 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Tornado research paper

Imagine staring out your window and noticing a wide violent rotating cloud it coming your way. The rotating cloud called a tornado. Tornadoes are one of nature’s worst natural disasters. Hundreds of tornadoes strike the United States each year. Each year an average of seventy deaths and 1,500 injuries is caused by a tornado.
Tornadoes caused by changes in the weather. Most of them occur under certain conditions. Super cells are thunderstorms in which tornadoes form inside. “A super cell takes shape on the edge of two colliding weather fronts. There, a cool, dry air mass above meets a warm, humid air mass below. A cap separates the two air masses.” The wind change direction and the layer of air starts rotating. Warm air and cold air meets creating the funnel cloud. Cool air pulls the mesocyclone to the ground. Updraft stretches speeding up into a tornado. Tornados are most likely to form when cold air and warm air meet. One tornado has occurred in all fifty states. Ninety percent of tornadoes have happened in Tornado Alley. Tornado Alley includes Texas, Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri and Oklahoma. Tornado season begins the beginning of April through June. Tornadoes occur at the most common time, which is from three until nine. This is the warmest time for the ground and atmosphere. They can occur with little or no warning.
Whether they are small or large, tornadoes can be weak of powerful. “A tornado’s size is not related to its strength” (Allen). Some can move as slowly as five miles per hour up to seventy. “Most tornadoes travel at speeds of ten to twenty miles (16 to 32 kilometers) per hour. A tornado has a life span of fifteen minutes up to three hours.” The path destruction depends on the tornado travel. “Most scientists ...

... middle of paper ...

...ace and affect plenty of people. Many adult and children may experience different emotions, feelings and thoughts when they experience the tornado. Reminders will linger evolving hail, winds, watches and warning. “Common emotional reactions of children and family members exposed to a tornado include:”
• Fear of another tornado that will happen.
• People will have nightmares and have sleeping problems.
• Temper problems
• Stomachaches
• Concerns about family members
• Loss of appetite

Works Cited

Allen,Jean. “Chapter 2: Why Tornadoes Happen.” Tornadoes(9780736805889) (2001): 11 Book.
Binns, Corey. "KILLER STORMS. (Cover Story)." Science World 67.12/13 (2011): 8. MasterFILE Premier. Web. 7 Nov. 2013.
Allen, Jean. “Chaper 3: The Power of a Tornado.” Tornadoes(9780736805889) (2001): 21 Book.
Favor, Leslie J. Natural Disastars. New York: Facts on file, 2011. Print.

Show More
Related

  • Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Tornado Case Study

    1103 Words  | 3 Pages

    Appears in Preprints, 18 th AMS Conf. Severe Local Storms (San Francisco, CA), 19-23 February 1996, Amer. Meteor. Soc., 471-473. Typos and other minor problems have been fixed in this Web version.

    Read More

  • The Super Tornado Outbreak of 1974

    729 Words  | 2 Pages

    According to Webster’s Dictionary, a tornado is a rotating column of air accompanied by a funnel shaped downward extension of a cumulonimbus cloud and having a vortex several hundred yards in diameter whirling destructively at speeds of up to three hundred miles per hour. There are six classifications of tornadoes, which are measured on what is known as the Fujita Scale. These tornadoes range from an F0 to an F5, which is the most devastating of all. Abnormal warm, humid, and oppressive weather usually precede the formation of a tornado. Records of American tornadoes date back to 1804 and have been known to occur in every state of the United States.

    Read More

  • Oklahoma Tornadoes and Their Destructive Ways

    1433 Words  | 3 Pages

    Tornadoes are “violent windstorms that take the form of a rotating column of air or vortex that extends downward from a cumulonimbus cloud” as Tarbuck and Lutgens (2012) explain.

    Read More

  • The Greensburg Tornado

    1048 Words  | 3 Pages

    As evening approached, several thunderstorms began to take on the characteristics of a supercell thunderstorm. Supercells, which are intense, broadly rotating thunderstorms, are the most v...

    Read More

  • Wichita, Kansas and Tornados

    571 Words  | 2 Pages

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)/National Climatic Data Center (NCDC), (2001). U.S. Tornado Climatology. Accessed on 9//27/2011 at http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/severeweather/tornadoes.html#deadly

    Read More

  • Speech on Tornados

    1671 Words  | 4 Pages

    1. According to the USA Today Tornado Information website, a tornado is a "violently rotating column of air in contact with the ground and pendant from a thunderstorm." Therefore, thunderstorms are the first step in the creation of a tornado.

    Read More

  • Autumn Tornado Outbreak in Midwest

    837 Words  | 2 Pages

    I would like to start out by what we know about tornados and outbreaks, and what is said to be the cause of such catastrophic events, such as the outbreak that occurred November 17th in the Midwestern, portion of the United States. Tornado outbreaks occur when there are multiple tornados that are said to be produced by the same weather system. The classification of an outbreak can vary depending on interpretation. It is said that in order to be classified as a “tornado outbreak” there must be a certain number of tornados that touch down. It is said that the US has the most tornados of any country. This can be attributed the location with in the mid latitude. The Rocky Mountains, have the ability to block moisture and “buckle” the atmospheric flow; thus forcing a lot of dry air at mid-levels of the troposphere, due to downslope winds. While the Rockies are forming a “dry-line” the Gulf of Mexico on the other hand contributes a lot of low level moisture. This mixture of warm air and cold air is to blame for the large number of tornados that form in the US. These events are most prevalent in the Midwestern and Southeastern United States, along with the Great Plains also known as (tornado alley) although some of these systems have been known to move as far North as Canada. The tornado outbreak that took place on the 17th of November is said to have been the one of the largest outbreaks to have occurred in eight years. This particular storm spawned a total of 72 tornados that swept through seven states, according to the National Weather Service. This outbreak is being considered the fourth largest outbreak of its kind, especially this time of year.

    Read More

  • Joplin Tornado Essay

    767 Words  | 2 Pages

    On May 22nd, 2011 a massive tornado hit Joplin, Missouri killing 162 people and injuring 1150. With wind speeds of 322km/h, the tornado made a total cost of over $2 billion for the city. 8000 structures were destroyed, 2000 of which were homes. Many people were left homeless. The tornado held an incredible EF5 rating on the Fujita scale, measured from the amount of destruction. The tragic event lasted 38 minutes, from 5:34 pm to 6:12pm. Cool wind from the Rockies in Canada and warm wind from the gulf of Mexico formed into a supercell thunderstorm creating a tornado in Kansas. The tornado rapidly moved into Joplin and continued on its 35 km path.

    Read More

  • Comparisons between Hurricane Sandy and Hurricane Katrina

    1844 Words  | 4 Pages

    Hurricanes are formed over tropical waters. These intense storms consist of winds over 74 miles per hour (Ahrens & Sampson, 2011). The storms addressed here are Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Sandy. This paper will explore the contrasts and comparisons between these two horrific storms.

    Read More

  • Betsy

    558 Words  | 2 Pages

    Gardiner, Lisa. "How Hurricanes Form." - Windows to the Universe. N.p., 13 Mar. 2009. Web. 15 Apr. 2014.

    Read More

  • A Destructive Tornado

    633 Words  | 2 Pages

    Tornadoes are one of the deadliest and most unpredictable villains mankind will ever face. There is no rhyme or reason, no rhythm to it’s madness. Tornados are one of the most terrifying natural events that occur, destroying homes and ending lives every year. April 29th, 1995, a calm, muggy, spring night I may never forget. Jason, a buddy I grew up with, just agreed to travel across state with me so we could visit a friend in Lubbock. Jason and I were admiring the beautiful blue bonnets, which traveled for miles like little blue birds flying close to the ground. The warm breeze brushed across the tips of the blue bonnets and allowed them to dance under the perfectly clear blue sky. In the distance, however, we could see darkness. A rumbling sky was quickly approaching.

    Read More

  • The Pros and Cons of Global Warming

    1474 Words  | 3 Pages

    "Superstorm Sandy: Facts About the Frankenstorm." LiveScience. TechMedia Network, 27 Nov. 2012. Web. 28 Feb. 2014. .

    Read More

  • Unnatural Disasters: Thinking about Natural Disasters in a Sociological Way

    1716 Words  | 4 Pages

    Schwartz, J "An Autopsy of Katrina: Four Storms, Not Just One. " , May , 2006,

    Read More

  • Storm Chasing a Race to Save Lives

    1186 Words  | 3 Pages

    "Tornado Victim Upset over Storm Chasing Company." United Press International. 10 June 2013: n. pag. Print.

    Read More

  • Perfect Storm

    1233 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Perfect Storm by Sebastian Junger is an account of an immense storm and its destructive path through the North Atlantic. In late October of 1991, crews of several different fishing ships left their port for their final haul. Little did they know that they would soon cross paths with one of the greatest storms ever recorded. This particular storm would create huge swells, high winds, and hard rain. The system, was said to be a “perfect storm” because all of the elements were just right to create the worst imaginable storm ever seen, “… a hundred-year event,” claimed some meteorologists. These types of storms are caused when: “Warm air is less dense than cool air; it rises off the surface of the ocean, cools in the upper atmosphere, and then dumps its moisture before rushing back to earth. Huge cumulus clouds develop over the zones of rising air, with thunder, lightning, and terrifically strong rain. As long as there's a supply of warm water, the thunderstorm sustains itself, converting moisture into sheeting rain and downdraft winds. Other thunderclouds might line up along the leading edge of a cold front into a "squall line," a towering convective engine that stretches from horizon to horizon.” (The Perfect Storm Foundation)

    Read More

More about Information About Tornadoes

Open Document