0
Yes. The rating of a tornado only refers to the worst damage that it causes. Usually only a small percentage of strucures in an EF5 tornado will actually be struck by EF5 winds. Many strutures will be hit by winds that are far less powerful but still capable of causing significant damage. In the aftermath of a tornado it is not uncommon to see houses and other buildings with exterior walls, including brick walls, collapsed while the rest of the structure remains mostly intact.
Wiki User
∙ 9y ago
Add your answer:
Earn +20 pts
Will A brick house survive beside a vinyl sided House destroyed in a tornado?
It depends on the intensity of the tornado and the specific construction of each house. Both houses would likely survive an EF2 or weaker tornado, though may lose their roofs. A low to moderate EF3 may destroy the vinyl sided house and leave the brick one standing, but both would be destroyed or irreparably damaged by a high EF3. Neither would survive the full force of an EF4 or EF5 tornado. There have been strange cases, as well. as some tornadoes have their strongest winds confined to small suction vortices. This can sometimes lead to one structure being leveled while the one next to it is left intact, regardless of construction. In a few cases sturdy brick buildings have been demolished while nearby wooden shacks have escaped with minimal damage.
Can tornadoes cause extreme damage to one area and hardly touch another are just a few hundred feet away?
Yes. Some tornadoes aren't very big, though the more destructive ones tend to be large, and the area of the worst winds is often only a small portion of the overall damage path. In some cases it may not even be even a few hundred feet. A tornado may level ones structure and leave the one next to it with only minor damage. This is because some tornadoes contain smaller vortices with winds up to 100 mph faster than the rest of the tornado, which can mean the difference between EF1 (moderate) damage and EF5 (incredible) damage. This may also result from a narrow but very intense tornado. One of the most jarring examples of this occurred in the F5 tornado that struck the town of Elie, Manitoba. A well built, firmly anchored brick house was ripped from its foundation and thrown several hundred feet, disintegrating in midair. The house next to it only lost part of its roof.
Why is it best to leave a window slightly open during a wind storm?
It actually isn't best do do this. It was once thought that during a tornado the rapid drop in pressure could cause buildings to explode. This notion has been disproven. It is wind and debris, not the pressured drop, that causes damage during a tornado. Even in a strong tornado the pressure drop is not enough to cause significant damage.
What type of damage do tornadoes do to homes?
It depends on the intensity of the tornado. Most tornadoes are rated EF0 or EF1. An EF0 tornado can remove some of the roof covering, take down gutters and awnings and strip off metal or vinyl siding. An EF1 tornado can break windows, severely strip and damage the roof, collapse the chimney, and destroy a porch. More rarely a tornado will reach EF2 or EF3 intensity. An EF2 tornado can remove all or most of the roof but leave most of the walls standing, though exterior walls may collapse. An EF3 tornado can cause the collapse of most walls, sometimes leaving only a few interior walls standing. In rare cases (about 1%) a tornado can reach EF4 or EF5 intensity. An EF4 tornado can cause the collapse of all walls in a house, leaving a pile of rubble. An EF5 tornado (less than .1% of all tornadoes) can completely annihilate a house and wipe it clean of its foundation.
Should you drive away in a tornado or stay in a house?
Generally you should shelter in place during a tornado as you are more likely to survive if caught in your house than if caught in a car. Evacuating from a tornado is not as simple as it sounds, as the paths of tornadoes can be unpredictable and it is possible to get stuck in traffic since peak tornado activity often coincides with the evening rush hour. That said, if you are in a mobile home when a tornado is coming you should leave it for sturdier shelter.
How come a tornado will tear a house apart and leave the next house untouched?
Some tornadoes simply have very narrow damage paths, producing destructive winds over only a very narrow swath. There are also multivortex tornadoes, in which there are smaller suction vorticies within the main circulation (almost like mini tornadoes within a tornado). These suction vorticies can be much more intense then the rest of the tornado, but are often very small. So one house may encounter EF3 or higher winds, the house next to it may only experience EF0 or EF1 winds. Quality of construction is also a factor.
What effects should someone expect from a tornado?
Effects include power outages and damage to vegetation and man-made structures. The severity of the damage depends on the strength of the tornado and what it hits. Most tornadoes cause no worse damage than peeled roof surfaces and destroyed garages and sheds. In the worst cases, though, violent tornadoes can leave entire neighborhoods ad fields of rubble.
What do you do after a tornado?
Say " YES, I'M ALIVE"!make sure everything is OK if your house didn't get damaged by the tornado stay inside don't touch downed power lines they can shock you leave fluids alone and don't go in a damaged house or building until it is safe hope this helps
How does tornado damage affect our lives?
Tornado damage may leave people without a home to stay in, at least temporarily. The damage is also costly and can greatly set people back financially if it is not fully covered by insurance. There is also the cost of lost productivity as businesses are forced to close to rebuild or repair, if they can reopen at all. People may suffer depression and other psychological effects at the loss of what they earned or created.
What are the expectations of when a tornado is passing through?
As the tornado comes close and hits the wind speed will increase rapidly and will change quickly the circulation passes through. The wind will be strong enough to cause damage, though the degree will depend on how strong the tornado is. The tornado will leave as quickly as it comes and in most cases a given location will not experience damaging winds for more than a few seconds. The aftermath may see downed or shredded trees and buildings with damage that may range from missing shingles to complete destruction.
Can an F2 tornado tear apart trees and buildings?
Trees can be largely torn apart by an F2 tornado but most buildings will remain standing. An F2 tornado will remove the roof from a typical frame house but leave most walls standing. Weak structures such as mobile homes, barns, and garages will likely be destroyed.
What are F4 and F3 in tornadoes?
F3 and F4 refer to ratings on the Fujita scale, which measures the strength of a tornado based on the severity of the damage it causes. It has six categories ranging from F0 at the weakest, causing minor damage, to F5 at the strongest, causing total devastation. F3 on the scale indicates a strong tornado that will partially or mostly destroy well-built houses, but leave some walls standing. F4 indicates a violent tornado that will completely level well-built houses.
