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No. Supercomputers are used to run forecast models, which are used for longer time frames of hours to days. Such models can predict that tornado activity may occur across a region on a given day, but cannot predict where or when individual tornado will form.
Down to the minute forecasts are made using Doppler radar images and, in some cases, eyewitness reports. Human meteorologists then judge, based on this information, whether a tornado warning is warranted. Computer forecast models are useless in these scenarios, as they take too long to run.
What else can I help you with?
How far in advance can a tornado be forecast?
Tornadoes can typically be forecasted within a few hours before they occur. Advanced warning systems and meteorological technology have improved the accuracy of tornado forecasts, giving people more time to seek shelter and stay safe. However, the exact timing and location of a tornado can still be difficult to predict with absolute certainty.
Do few tornadoes last more than a few minutes?
Correct, most tornadoes do not last more than a few minutes. Stronger tornadoes tend to last longer than weaker ones, though, so many of the major tornadoes that make national headlines will last more than just a few minutes.
How many days do tornadoes last?
A tornado does not even last a day. The longest duration ever recorded for a tornado was 3 hours and 29 minutes. Durations over an hour are rare. The average tornado lasts about 10 minutes.
How long does a tornado last on average?
It varies widley. Most tornadoes last a few minutes, with many lasting just a few seconds. However, the most destructive tornadoes can last half an hour or more. The longest-live tornado on record lasted for 3 hours and 29 minutes.
Where are there tornadoes right now?
This is impossible to answer accurately. Although tornadoes can be tracked they are often difficult to publicly confirm until after the fact, especially for weak tornadoes. Further complicating the matter, tornadoes usually form and dissipate in a matter of minutes. So an answer given one minute might not be true in the next. As of the afternoon of July 13, 2013 there do not appear to be any tornadoes in the United States right now, but there is some small potential in the Ohio and Tennessee Valleys and the northwestern Great Plains. Data from other countries is not readily available.
What do you use to forecast a tornado?
In long term forecast, the potential for tornadoes across a region, but not individual tornadoes, is forecast using weather models. Given data based on temperature, pressure, humidity, and wind speed and direction at different locations and altitudes, supercomputers forecast the behavior of weather systems, including those that might produce tornadoes. However, forecast models cannot predict where individual tornadoes will strike. Doppler radar can detect rotation within a thunderstorm, and thus tell if a storm is likely to produce a tornado in the near or currently producing one, with an average lead time of 14 minutes.
Can a supercomputer forecast tornadoes?
Only in a very limited sense. Supercomputers are already used to run forecast models, which are used in forecasting large-scale weather patterns over the course of hours and days. This includes predicting general areas where there will be a risk of tornadoes occurring, usually covering one or several states. However, it cannot predict where individual tornadoes will strike. Tornadoes themselves operate on the small scale of weather patterns, where it is much harder to gather detailed data, especially since very small variations in conditions can have major impacts on how a storm will behave. Because of rapidly changing and difficult to predict conditions, tornado warnings are issued on a time scale measured in minutes, while an accurate computer model takes hours to run.
How easy can you predict a tornado?
Overall it is extremely difficult to predict tornadoes. By weather standards tornadoes are small and form quickly, usually occurring on a time scale of minutes or seconds. Additionally, how a tornado works is still largely unknown.
How many minutes do weak tornadoes last?
Although they can last longer most weak tornadoes last less than 5 minutes.
Do tornadoes last forever?
No. Most tornadoes last no more than a few minutes.
Do tornadoes stay on the ground for a few minutes hours or days?
Most tornadoes last a few minutes, and some may only be on the ground for seconds. However, a handful of tornadoes have lasted for two or three hours.
How far in advance can a tornado be forecast?
Tornadoes can typically be forecasted within a few hours before they occur. Advanced warning systems and meteorological technology have improved the accuracy of tornado forecasts, giving people more time to seek shelter and stay safe. However, the exact timing and location of a tornado can still be difficult to predict with absolute certainty.
What is the predictability for a tornado?
Tornadoes are highly unpredictable. On a time scale of hours it is possible to determine if a general region is at risk of tornadoes. On a time scale of minutes we can determine if a thundershower might soon produce one.
How long do weak tornadoes typically last?
Weak tornadoes typically last less than 5 minutes.
Do tornadoes ever end?
Yes. All tornadoes dissipate. Most last no more than a few minutes.
Do few tornadoes last more than a few minutes?
Correct, most tornadoes do not last more than a few minutes. Stronger tornadoes tend to last longer than weaker ones, though, so many of the major tornadoes that make national headlines will last more than just a few minutes.
What research do you have about tornadoes?
A tornado can happen regardless of what season you are in. Tornadoes often only last a few minutes, but they do a lot of damage.
