Tornadoes are a very destructive piece of natural disasters that cannot be prevented and can often come with little to no warning to take shelter. Every year there are hundreds if not thousands of people that are affected by tornadoes and their aftermath. These deadly forces of nature come through areas with their damaging winds and can potentially wipe out houses off their foundation, destroy power lines, damage buildings, leave survivors with PTSD and ultimately even kill people.
Tornadoes themselves are an interesting piece to observe, study, learn from and even predict. Over the years our ability to learn from them and how they form, what are the proper weather conditions for them, how their damaging winds destroy buildings, and with advancing
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According to one research meteorologist from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Severe Storms Laboratory, “the most powerful tornadoes are formed from supercell thunderstorms which include warm moisture near the surface and relatively cold, dry air above.” (National Geograpic Channel) However, all tornadoes can differ in size, strength and location where they form, they do share some common characteristics. All tornadoes are formed from rotating supercell thunderstorms. First they need wind shear, which rolls the air below into a horizontal vortex above opposing surface winds. Secondly they need an updraft, which is when warm air from the ground begins to lift part of the vortex into a vertical position. Third, they need the storm. The stronger of the two vortices created from the updraft becomes the main section of the storm while the other vortices fades out. Last but not least, they need the supercell. This is when upper level winds tilt the updraft air. This allows the storm to grow as more warm air is sucked into the storm. In a few small cases when the air falls from the supercell, it may cause rotation near the ground and that …show more content…
Sometimes there is only a matter of minutes between when the tornado watch is given to when the tornado touches down. Every spring it is known that it is considered tornado season and society pays close attention to the weather and what the meteorologist is putting out on the weather report. When there is a tornado watch issued, it means that the weather conditions are just right for a tornado to form and to be ready to take shelter. When a tornado warning is issued, it means there has been a tornado sighted and to take cover if you are in the area. Currently the Severe Storms Laboratory in Norman, Oklahoma can predict tornado prone weather a week out where as before it was only a day or two out. One thing society has to keep in mind is that “these forecasts are for weather systems that are capable of producing tornadoes, not predictions of where a specific tornado may hit.” (Castillo) As there are advances in technology and science, the ability to improve forecasts increases. All over the world at research labs, education institutions out in the field with tornado chasers, material and data is put together to help make a educated prediction and to provide information as accurate as possible. The computers that researchers use take the laws of physics and mathematics to make predictions on
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.
What makes tornadoes and their destruction interesting to people? Is it the variety in formations, the miles one can travel, the random paths it takes, the changes tornadoes can make on climate and the formation of the land or is it because tornadoes often leave behind a path of destruction and deaths?
On May 20th, 2013 a EF 5 tornado hit Moore, Oklahoma and surrounding towns, with a path as wide as 1.3 miles wide (2.1 km) and had a wind speed, estimated at its peak, of 210 miles per hour (340 km/h). Killing 24 people, and injuring 377, this was one of the United States worst tornadoes in the past few years, along side the Joplin, Missouri tornado, in 2011. One of Mother Nature’s most dangerous and still very mysterious phenomenons averages about 1,200 reported each year, resulting in 80 deaths and injuring 1500. With very little known about them, especially whether or not they will form is one of the questions that plague meteorologist to this very day. What causes tornadoes, how does the tilt and gravity of the earth affect the winds to produce a tornado, and what will the future hold about our understanding of tornadoes?
In 2008 Hurricane Ike made land fall to the east coast line in Galveston Texas. The storm surge water that Ike produced flooded the east coast region of Houston and Galveston. It has been estimated over billions of dollars in damage to home owners, business owners, and cause numerus of deaths. The mass destruction that Ike caused had people coming up ways to prevent or lessen the effects if a storm like this would ever occur in the future. A storm surge project was drafted and submitted to politicians is being delayed due to funding issues. Money should not be the major delay when it comes to saving homeowners, business owners, and a life of a person.
D. Thesis: In order to better understand tornadoes, it is important to explore what causes tornadoes to develop, how researchers classify types of tornadoes, and odd occurrences that may be associated with tornadoes.
People did many things to prepare for Hurricane Sandy. Many people who lived on or near the coastline were given evacuation orders by government officials. These areas were likely to experience severe flooding. The people who lived in low elevations along the coast were particularly in danger. These people left their homes in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut; some were fortunate enough to find a hotel to stay in or relatives to stay with. Others who weren’t as fortunate waited in community shelters. Organizations such as the American Red Cross opened shelters specifically for people who had to leave their homes because of Hurricane Sandy.
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.
On October 22, 2012, a tropical depression began to form in the Caribbean Sea due to steadily increasing wind speeds and low pressure. Hurricane Sandy quickly developed making landfall as a category 1 hurricane. From its formation in the Caribbean Sea on October 22, 2012 to its dissipation on October 31, 2012 hurricane Sandy lasted a total of 9 days ravaging the east coast of the United States and parts of the Caribbean. Hurricane Sandy was an extremely large and complex cyclone; analyzing its highly affected areas, unique characteristics, and damage reports help us to understand the lasting impact natural disasters leave in their wake.
Low gray clouds loom in the distance. Suddenly, a tail descends from one of them, and twists itself into a spinning, funnel-shaped system - a tornado. It whips back and forth as it moves across the earth, whisking away houses, trees, and other objects with the tremendous force of its spinning winds. Tornadoes are one of the world’s deadliest and most unpredictable villains mankind will ever face. Tornadoes can harm and benefit society in many different ways. Tornadoes can harm society in destruction of property, mutilating the economy, traumatizing
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.
A tornado requires some basic ingredients to come together. First, energy in the form of warm, moist air must exist to feed thunder storms. Second, there must be a top layer of hot, dry air called a cap. This air acts like a lid on a simmering pot, holding in the warm air that’s accumulating in the atmosphere below until the storm’s ready to burst. Last, there has to be rotating winds speeding in oppositedirections at two different levels in the atmosphere, a phenomenon called wind shear, can cause the storms to rotate. Tornado alley is perfectly situated to meet these requirements. (1)
A tropical cyclone is a warm-core, low-pressure system producing high winds that spiral counter-clockwise (in the northern hemisphere) and inward, with the highest winds near the center of circulation. The large counter-clockwise and inward flow is characteristic of the nearly symmetric structure of tropical cyclones as they are comprised of rain bands spiraling toward the center. These warm-core storms typically form over the tropical and subtropical oceans and extract their energy from the heat content of the oceans.
middle of paper ... ... Help people if they are trapped under fallen debris and give them first aid in the event that they are injured. Tornado safety and preparedness are key to protecting your loved ones during a tornado. So far, there has been no evidence that tornadoes pick up objects and move them to Oz, but we do know they can lift enormous objects and cause billions of dollars in damage.
Have you ever woken up from a great night’s sleep, looked outside your window only to find dark, enormous clouds looming the sky? While some people feel indifferent towards the weather and proceed with their morning routines, others are immediately deterred from doing anything that involves crawling out of the comfort of their bed. It is completely natural for a person’s emotions and behavior to be influenced by the weather. I personally believe that certain factors such as the temperature and the amount of sunlight, can significantly alter the way a person is feeling. It has the ability to influence not only your thoughts, but the way in which you behave throughout the day.