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What conditions make Tornado Alley the prime location for tornadoes develop?
Wiki User
∙ 8y ago
In the spring storm systems cause warm, moist air from the Gulf of Mexico to collide with cool air from Canada and dry air from the Rockies, resulting in the formation of strong thunderstorms. About a mile off the ground a layer of stable air holds thunderstorm activity back, allowing instability to build underneath it. As a result when the storm break through the cap the instability will be enormous, leading to explosively powerful thunderstorms. At the same time wind speed and direction varies with altitude, which sets these storms rotating and also strengthens the updraft. This rotation combined with strong thunderstorm updrafts can then produce tornadoes.
Wiki User
∙ 8y ago
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Why do most tornadoes happen in the middle of the US?
The central United States has an ideal climate setup. Cool air from Canada and dry air from the Rockies collide with warm, moist air from the Gulf of Mexico, triggering thunderstorms. Initially, the development of these storms is held back by a layer of stable air called a cap, allowing instability to build, rather like a pressure cooker. If the storms can break through the cap they will develop at an explosive rate and become quite strong. The next ingredient is wind shear, a change in the speed and direction of the wind with altitude. The wind shear has two effects. First, it separates the updraft and downdraft portions of a thunderstorm. This separation prevents the cold air of the downdraft from choking off the updraft, which would otherwise cut the storm's development short. Second, the wind shear can set the storm rotating, turning it into a supercell. It is this rotation that allows the storm to produce tornadoes. Rarely outside of Tornado Alley are conditions so favorable for tornadoes.
Why is location important to geography?
Location is important to geography because it helps us understand where places are situated on Earth, how they are connected, and how they influence each other. By studying location, geographers can analyze spatial patterns, identify regions with specific characteristics, and develop a better understanding of the relationships between people and the environment. Location also plays a crucial role in spatial analysis, mapping, and creating geographic information systems.
What about the location of the philippines made it a valuable asset for spain?
Spain had three objectives in the Philippines, its only colony in Asia: to acquire a share in the spice trade, to develop contacts with China & Japan in order to further Christian missionary efforts, & to convert the Filipinos to Christianity.
How do continents develop?
The movement of the tectonic plates
What region did an agricultural society last develop?
England
Are there thunderstorms before a tornado?
Tornadoes occur during thunderstorms. In most cases, though not all the time, tornadoes develop in the rear portion of the parent storm. So in most cases, yes, you will experience thunderstorm conditions before a tornado hits. However, some tornadoes can develop at or near the leading edge of a line of thunderstorms.
If there is a tornado watch is there more than likely going to be a tornado?
If a tornado is spotted or detected, or if a rotation is detected that is likely to lead to a tornado, that is when a warning is issued. A watch simply means that conditions are favorable for tornadoes, but does not mean that there is an imminent threat. So a tornado is more likely to strike when a warning is issued.
Do tornadoes develop in the same clouds that develop thunderstorms?
Not only, that. The thunderstorm is what produces the tornado.
Why do cumulus clouds cause tornadoes?
They don't. However, a cumulus cloud can develop into a cumulonimbus cloud (a.k.a. thunderstorm) under the right conditions. Even then conditions have to be specific for it to produce a tornado.
Can you predicate when a tornado will happen?
Only to a very limited degree. Scientists can determine when conditions are favorable for tornadoes to develop (in which case a tornado watch is issued), or even if a tornado may be developing (which would prompt a tornado warning), but cannot predict exactly where or when a tornado will touch down.
In what part of the Philippines can a tornado develop?
Tornadoes can strike anywhere in the Philippines.
What does wind have to do with tornadoes?
A tornado is a vortex of wind. Tornadoes develop from interactions of air currents (wind) within a thunderstorm.
What is the relationship between a cloud and a tornado?
Tornadoes develop from thunderstorms, which are cumulonimbus clouds.
What are lake waterspouts?
Lake wwaterspouts are tornadoes or tornado-like vortices that develop on a lake.
Does a dust devil develop into a tornado?
No. A dust devil is a whirlwind that forms from localized convection caused by heating from the sun. As such, they form under sunny conditions. Tornadoes develop from severe thunderstorms. Dust devils can, on rare occasions, produce minor damage similar to that of a very weak tornado.
Does a tornado develop over warm water?
No, tornadoes usually develop over land. Hurricanes develop e over warm water.
How fast can tornadoes form?
In some cases a tornado can develop from a rotating thunderstorm in a matter of seconds.
