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A mesocyclone is a rotating updraft within a thunderstorm, usually a supercell. Under the right conditions a mesocyclone will tighten and intensify to produce a tornado. The majority of tornadoes form this way.

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What is a mass of spinning rising air that may produce a tornado?

I think the word you're looking for is "vortex".


What is a super cell and how does it develop into a tornado?

A supercell is a powerful thunderstorm with a strong, rotating updraft called a mesocyclone. They don't so much develop into tornadoes as they produce them. How they do this is not fully understood, but it is believed that moist of the time a downdraft called a rear-flank downdraft or RFD wraps around the bottom part of the mesocyclone, tightening and intensifying it to form a tornado.


How does the thunderstorm become a tornado?

A thunderstorm does not become a tornado, it producesone.In order to produce a tornado a storm first needs a strong, rotating updraft called a mesocyclone. A storm with this feature is called a supercell. The rotation in a mesocyclone the tightens, intensifies, and extends towards the ground, becoming a tornado.How this intensification occurs is not fully understood, but it is believed that a downdraft at least plays a role by wrapping around the mesocyclone and forcing it into a tighter circulation.


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.


How does a tornado evolve from a thunderstorm?

First, you need a special kind of thunderstorm called a supercell. A supercell is a thunderstorm with a powerful, rotating updraft called a mesocyclone. As the storm gets stronger a downdraft may descend from the back of the storm. This is called a rear-flank downdraft or RFD. The RFD wraps around the mesocyclone causing it to tighten, intensify, and extend towards the ground, becoming a tornado. This is a somewhat simplified explanation. There are other factors that scientists still don't fully understand.

Related Questions

Is a funnel shaped tornado a mesocyclone?

No, the mesocyclone is the larger circulation that the tornado forms from. It can sometimes be seen as a lowering of the cloud base called a wall cloud.


Does a mesocyclone often precede tornado development?

Yes. Most tornadoes develop from the mesocyclone of a supercell.


What is a tornado before it is a tornado?

Before a tornado touches down it is called a funnel cloud, which looks like a tornado but does not reach the ground. A funnel cloud develops from the mesocyclone of a supercell thunderstorm. A supercell thunderstorm is characterized by the presence of a mesocyclone, which is a deep, continuously-rotating updraft.


What is a satellite tornado?

A satellite tornado is a tornado that touches down near and usually orbits a larger tornado within the same mesocyclone.


A mesocyclone is a vertical cylinder of rotating air that can form a tornado How does a mesocyclone form?

The mesocyclone developed from horizontally rolling air that get caught in the updraft of a thunderstorm and turned vertical.


How is a tornado fomred?

A tornado is formed when wind shear turns a storm into a supercell, a kinds of long-lived thunderstorm with a rotating updraft called a mesocyclone. Under the right conditions a downdraft may descend from the back of the storm and wrap around the mesocyclone, turning it into a tornado.


What part of the storm does a tornado form in?

A tornado usually forms from a mesocyclone, which occurs in the updraft or rear portion of some thunderstorms.


What is a mass of spinning rising air that may produce a tornado?

I think the word you're looking for is "vortex".


What are the wind conditions for a a tornado?

Tornadoes form during thunderstorms that occur when there is strong difference, meaning a significant difference between winds at low and high levels. The thunderstorm has updraft (upward moving air) and downdraft (downward moving air) regions. The tornado forms in a rotating part of the updraft called a mesocyclone. A downdraft wraps around the mesocyclone, causing it to tighten and intensify into a tornado.


Can wall clouds cause or produce tornadoes?

Basically. A wall cloud is a a visible portion of the mesocyclone of a supercell. The mesocyclone is the the rotating part of a supercell that can produce a tornado.


What is a super cell and how does it develop into a tornado?

A supercell is a powerful thunderstorm with a strong, rotating updraft called a mesocyclone. They don't so much develop into tornadoes as they produce them. How they do this is not fully understood, but it is believed that moist of the time a downdraft called a rear-flank downdraft or RFD wraps around the bottom part of the mesocyclone, tightening and intensifying it to form a tornado.


When is a tornado called a downspout?

Never. A downspout is completely different from a tornado. It is a pipe that drains water from a rain gutter. A tornado on water is called a waterspout. A tornado that forms without a mesocyclone is a landspout.