What is a tornado? Our textbook defines a tornado as a violently rotating column of air in contact with the ground that is usually produced by a thunderstorm. Tornados are something that we, as Midwesterners, have heard about our whole lives, and sometimes even grown up with. But there is much more to learn about tornados than just the movie Twister. Tornados have relation to Chapter 1: Monitoring the Weather, Chapter 8: Wind & Weather, and, of course, Chapter 11: Thunderstorms and Tornados. First, I would like to discuss with you the basic facts of tornados. As stated in the introduction, tornados are a violently rotating column of air in contact with the ground, and it is usually produced by a thunderstorm. According to our textbook, there …show more content…
This chapter obviously links together with this event because Chapter 11 is all about explaining tornados, what they are, their characteristics, what causes them, etc. The Tri-State tornado occurred before weather forecasters had the technology to predict, identify or track severe weather. When the thunderstorm formed over southeast Missouri early that afternoon, no one had any idea how severe it would get and that it even had the potential to turn into a tornado. In that time, the forecasters had no way of determining the strength of the storm or the devastation it was about to bring. When the tornado first developed a few miles northwest of Ellington, Missouri, it gave no signs or indications that it would grow into a monster and continue as it did. That tornado barreled across southeast Missouri, southern Illinois, and southwest Indiana at incredible speeds totaling 219 miles, and lasting 3.5 …show more content…
Tornados are rated on an EF scale, which depicts its level of severity. An EF-0 produces minor damage, snapping tree branches and possibly breaking some windows. An EF-1 or EF-2 can cause moderate to considerate property damage, and even have the potential to take lives. An EF-3 tornado can partially destroy well-constructed buildings and even lift motor vehicles from the ground. The violent end of the EF-scale, an EF-4 or 5, can be described as devastating or incredible. An EF-4 can level sturdy buildings and other large structures, and toss vehicles around like toys. An EF-5 can lift sturdy frame houses and transport them for a distance before they begin to disintegrate from wind gusts over 200 mph, or experiencing violent crashes. Because of its severity, strong winds, and lifespan, the Tri-State tornado was obviously categorized as an EF-5 tornado. Most tornados are formed from a weather system known as a supercell thunderstorm. In a supercell, the wind strengthens and veers (turns clockwise) with altitude. This shear in wind speed causes the air to rotate about the horizontal axis in a rolling motion. This rotation interacts with the updraft and the tube of rotating air is tilted from horizontal to vertical, creating the
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.
Many scientists often find themselves wondering if the tri-state tornado was really a single massive tornado or if it was part of a family of tornadoes that continuously evolve from one supercell to another. Only one factor stands in the way of this theory and that is a cyclical supercell usually has breaks in its destructive path. The tri-state tornado's path of damage appeared to be continuous despite two slight decreases in the destruction. One of which was near the onset of the storm, and one near the demise. No matter which is believed, one thing is for certain, and that is a storm like the tri-state tornado could very well happen again, but there is no telling when or where it may occur.
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.
Tornadoes, also called twisters or cyclones, are a localized, violently destructive windstorm occurring over land, and characterized by a long, funnel-shaped cloud extending toward the ground and made visible by condensation and debris. They come in many different shapes and sizes, but are typical in a funnel formation, where the narrow end makes contact with the earth. Most don’t reach winds over 110 miles per hour (177 km/h) or have a path wider than 250 feet (76m), and most only travel a few miles on ground before dissipating. Although, some can reach winds as high as 300 miles per hour (483 km/h) or higher, have a path that can be as wide as two miles (3.2 km) or more, and can travel for dozens of miles on the ground before dissipating.
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
Tornadoes are devastating atmospheric events that affect the ecology and the lives of people in their paths. Tornadoes are defined as “a violently rotating column of air, in contact with the ground, either pendant from a cumuliform cloud or underneath a cumuliform cloud, and often (but not always) visible as a funnel cloud” (Glossary of Meterology, 2011). The Tri-state tornado was the most deadly tornado in the United States. It stayed on the ground for a total of 219 miles through areas of Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana, killed a total of 695 people, and an estimated $16.5 million in damages (National Weather Service, 2011). Luckily, the tornado’s path was largely rural farmland with scattered small towns between them.
Furthermore, there are many causes of tornadoes. A tornado is a violent rotating column of air extending downward from the base of a thunderstorm, but a tornado is not actually labeled a tornado until it reaches the surface of the ground. Before a tornado occurs, a very severe thunderstorm will more than likely present itself. Before the grave thunderstorm arises, a wall cloud will form in the sky. A wall cloud is an abrupt lowering of a rain-free cumulonimbus base into a low-hanging cloud. A wall cloud is usually situated in the southwest portion of the storm. A rotating wall cloud usually
A tornado is a type of vortex. A vortex is essentially a rotating funnel that occurs from downdrafts that pull a medium, such as air or water, downward. Tornadoes are vortexes, and vortexes happen in day to day life, even if you don’t live in Tornado Alley. An everyday example of a vortex is when you pull the drain of a bathtub or sink and a rotating whirlpool occurs. This is a vortex. Tornadoes occur under this same principle, but with air in thunderstorms instead of water in a bathtub.
It seems like every year Oklahoma is hit by massive storms and tornados that kill people and wound many others. Although some may say Oklahomans are used to getting hit by storms and tornados, but the outcome is never something we get used to and this year, just like any other, we got hit. On May 20, 2013 an EF5 tornado started to develop and little did we know that this tornado would be talked about everywhere. This tornado did major damage to houses, towns, and buildings, but what got this tornado so much attention was that it tore through an elementary school, that was unprotected from tornados, and killed seven children. According to the National Weather Service’s Top Ten Deadliest Oklahoma Tornados (1882-Present) this specific tornado is ranked number nine, killing 23 individuals and injuring 237 others. Even though there is a slim chance we could have saved everyone, we still could have saved those children in the Plaza Towers Elementary school. All they needed was a storm shelter at their school to take cover in and they probably would have all survived.
The belief that firing a cannonball or other projectile into a spout can "break it up" has no scientific foundation. Whirlwinds In the general sense, a whirlwind is any rotating mass of air or atmospheric vortex. The term is, however, commonly restricted to atmospheric systems smaller than a tornado but larger than eddies of micro scale turbulence. A whirlwind is usually named after the visible phenomenon associated with it; thus there are dust whirls, or dust devils; sand whirls, or sand pillars; and fire, smoke, and even snow whirls, or spouts. In contrast to the pendant form of the tornado funnel, a dust or sand devil develops from the ground upward, usually under hot, clear-sky conditions. The whirl shape is normally that of a cylindrical column or an inverted cone. The axis of rotation is usually vertical, but it may be inclined. The direction of rotation may be either clockwise or counterclockwise.
The first thing that starts a tornado would be the winds. The wind updraft can form a funnel. This funnel is called a Mesocyclone and when the mesocyclone touches the ground it is considered a tornado. Clouds play an important role in forming tornadoes too. Some other clouds are called, Wall Clouds. These clouds protrude from the sky and look like a giant waves coming down about to crash on earth. When wall clouds form the sky might turn to a greenish color or some other color. This wall-cloud is called a Super-Cell. Super-Cells usually produce large amounts of rain up to three hours long, along with baseball sized hail. Once the Super-Cell becomes a tornado it may last from a few seconds to an hour.
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)
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.
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.
A tornado is defined as a violently rotating column extending from a thunderstorm to the ground. The most violent tornadoes are capable of tremendous destruction with wind speeds of two hundred and fifty miles per hour or more. Damage paths can be more than one mile wide and fifty miles long. In an average year, eight hundred tornadoes are reported nationwide, resulting in eighty deaths and over one thousand five hundred injuries. In the body of my essay, I will tell you about types of tornadoes, where tornadoes come from, where and when tornadoes occur, the damage they inflict, variations of tornadoes, and how to detect tornadoes.