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What can spawn a tornado?
Tornadoes are typically spawned by severe thunderstorms, usually in the presence of a rotating updraft called a mesocyclone. The convergence of warm, moist air at the surface with cool, dry air aloft can create the necessary conditions for tornado formation. Other factors such as wind shear and atmospheric instability also play a role in tornado development.
What is the definition of funnel clouds?
A funnel cloud is a rotating column of air extending downward from a cloud but not touching the ground. It is typically associated with a rotating storm or thunderstorm, such as a tornado. If a funnel cloud reaches the ground, it becomes a tornado.
How a does tornado appear?
This question could be interpreted two ways: "What does a tornado look like" and "how does a tornado form." In the former case, a tornado often takes on a funnel or cone shape extending from the base of the clouds to the ground. This funnel may be narrow and bend somewhat, taking on an appearance similar to an elephant trunk or a rope. Other tornadoes may appear as vertical columns of massive swirling balls of dust. Depending on lighting conditions and the amount of dust being picked up, a tornado may appear while, gray, black, brown, or rusty red. In terms of how tornadoes form, first you need strong thunderstorms and wind shear. Wind shear is a variation in the speed and direction of the wind with altitude. If the setup is right, it can set thunderstorm rotating, turning them into supercells. The rotating updraft in the storm is known as the mesocyclone. This mesocyclone can potentially tighten, intensify, and reach toward the ground to form a tornado.
What is the source of tornadoes?
The Lifecycle of a tornado:Supercell RelationshipTornadoes often develop from a class of thunderstorms known as supercells. Supercells contain mesocyclones, an area of organized rotation a few miles up in the atmosphere, usually 1-6 miles (2-10 km) across. Most intense tornadoes (EF3 to EF5 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale) develop from supercells. In addition to tornadoes, very heavy rain, frequent lightning, strong wind gusts, and hail are common in such storms.Most tornadoes from supercells follow a recognizable life cycle. That begins when increasing rainfall drags with it an area of quickly descending air known as the rear flank downdraft (RFD). This downdraft accelerates as it approaches the ground, and drags the supercell's rotating mesocyclone towards the ground with it. FormationAs the mesocyclone approaches the ground, a visible condensation funnel appears to descend from the base of the storm, often from a rotating wall cloud. As the funnel descends, the RFD also reaches the ground, creating a gust front that can cause damage a good distance from the tornado. Usually, the funnel cloud becomes a tornado within minutes of the RFD reaching the ground. MaturityInitially, the tornado has a good source of warm, moist inflow to power it, so it grows until it reaches the "mature stage". This can last anywhere from a few minutes to more than an hour, and during that time a tornado often causes the most damage, and in rare cases can be more than one mile (1.6 km) across. Meanwhile, the RFD, now an area of cool surface winds, begins to wrap around the tornado, cutting off the inflow of warm air which feeds the tornado. DemiseAs the RFD completely wraps around and chokes off the tornado's air supply, the vortex begins to weaken, and become thin and rope-like. This is the "dissipating stage"; often lasting no more than a few minutes, after which the tornado fizzles. During this stage the shape of the tornado becomes highly influenced by the winds of the parent storm, and can be blown into fantastic patterns. Even though the tornado is dissipating, the tornado is still capable of causing damage. The storm is contracting into a rope-like tube and, like the ice skater who pulls her arms in to spin faster, winds can increase at this point.As the tornado enters the dissipating stage, its associated mesocyclone often weakens as well, as the rear flank downdraft cuts off the inflow powering it. In particularly intense supercells tornadoes can develop cyclically. As the first mesocyclone and associated tornado dissipate, the storm's inflow may be concentrated into a new area closer to the center of the storm. If a new mesocyclone develops, the cycle may start again, producing one or more new tornadoes. Occasionally, the old (occluded) mesocyclone and the new mesocyclone produce a tornado at the same time.Though this is a widely accepted theory for how most tornadoes form, live, and die, it does not explain the formation of smaller tornadoes, such as landspouts, long-lived tornadoes, or tornadoes with multiple vortices. These each have different mechanisms which influence their development-however, most tornadoes follow a pattern similar to this one.
What usually precedes a tornado?
A tornado is often preceded by severe thunderstorms, characterized by dark clouds, heavy rain, strong winds, and hail. Tornadoes can form when warm, moist air collides with cold, dry air, creating conditions for the development of rotating thunderstorms known as supercells.
When does the tornado actually form?
A tornado most often forms within a few minutes of the rear-flank downdraft wrapping around the mesocyclone.
How many mesocyclones produce tornadoes?
Not all mesocyclones produce tornadoes; however, they are often associated with tornado formation. The presence of a mesocyclone is a key indicator for meteorologists to monitor for tornado development.
How does a tornado form in a thunderstorm?
To start off, the thunderstorm needs to have a rotating low pressure area called a mesocyclone, covering an area 2 to 6 miles wide. This usually occurs in the rear portion of a supercell, but can also develop within a squall line, often on the north side of a bow echo. A downdraft can occur near the mesocyclone and wrap around the bottom portion, causing it to tighten and intensify and stretch toward the ground, producing a tornado.
What is a supercell tornado?
A supercell tornado is a tornado that forms from thunderstorm called a supercell. A supercell is a powerful thunderstorm that has a strong rotating updraft called a mesocyclone. Supercells are the strongest thunderstorms on earth. Most strong tornadoes are supercell tornadoes.
What is a tornado and what makes it occur?
A tornado is a violently rotating column of air extending from the base of a thunderstorm to the ground, often made visible by a funnel or cone shaped cloud. A tornado occurs when rolling air called wind shear is turned vertical by a thunderstorm. This creates a supercell, a storm with a strong, rotating updraft called a mesocyclone. Under the right conditions a downdraft can wrap around the mesocyclone, forcing the rotating into a tighter, more intense vortex: a tornado.
What can spawn a tornado?
Tornadoes are typically spawned by severe thunderstorms, usually in the presence of a rotating updraft called a mesocyclone. The convergence of warm, moist air at the surface with cool, dry air aloft can create the necessary conditions for tornado formation. Other factors such as wind shear and atmospheric instability also play a role in tornado development.
What is the definition of funnel clouds?
A funnel cloud is a rotating column of air extending downward from a cloud but not touching the ground. It is typically associated with a rotating storm or thunderstorm, such as a tornado. If a funnel cloud reaches the ground, it becomes a tornado.
What shape do tornado producing storms take on the radar screen?
When looking at storm relative velocity, the signature of a tornado, or at least the mesocyclone that produces it will show up as a bright green area next to a bright red area in a relatively small part of the image. This means that strong winds blowing toward the radar are right next to strong winds blowing away from it, indicating a strong rotation. On a reflectivity image there will often be a hook shape on the radar image, showing where the mesocyclone is pulling the rain around. See the link below for an example. Note that these are not what images of the tornado itself looks like, but rather the mesocyclone that produces the tornado. Also note that not all tornadoes have such features on radar, and not all such features correspond to tornadoes.
What is a wall cloud on a tornado?
A wall cloud is a lowering of a cloud base that is often seen before a tornado forms. It marks the most intense portion of the mesocyclone, the rotating updraft from which a tornado forms. The links below shows picture of what wall clouds often look like.
Is the mesocyclone under the wall cloud or next to the wall cloud?
The mesocyclone is typically located next to the wall cloud, in the rear portion of the thunderstorm updraft. The wall cloud is the lowering, rotating cloud that often forms at the base of a supercell thunderstorm where the mesocyclone is present.
During which stage of a thunderstorm is a tornado likely to develop?
Tornadoes usually form toward the back of the storm tha produces them, so you are most likley to experience one after the storm has been going on for a while, often after the rain has mostly passed. Strong winds often occur a few minutes before the tornado touches down, associated with the mechanisms that produce the tornado. In some cases people have reported and eerie silence with, no rain or wind shortly, before the tornado strikes. However, this does not always happen. Some tornadoes have struck in the middle of intense wind and rain with no warning.
Is the air still before a tornado?
Yes, before a tornado, the air may feel eerily calm and still. This is often due to the sinking air and lack of wind in the immediate vicinity of the storm. It's important to take shelter if you notice this sudden tranquil moment, as it may precede the violent tornado winds.
