answersLogoWhite

0

The collision of warm and cold air is not the direct cause of a tornado, nor is it absolutely necessary.

When a cold air mass pushes into a warm air mass (this is called a cold front) the warmer, less dense air is forced upwards. As the air rises it cools and the moisture in it condenses to form clouds, rain, and thunderstorms.

If other factors such as strong wind shear (a change in the wind speed and direction with altitude) are present these storms may begin to rotate. This rotation can then develop into tornadoes.

User Avatar

Wiki User

13y ago

What else can I help you with?

Continue Learning about Earth Science
Related Questions

What is the main reason tornadoes form?

When cold air and hot air mix together it forms a tornado.


What is one thing that a tornado can't do?

Tornadoes cannot change the shape of the land.


Do a tornado form when a funnel of cold air quickly rises from the earth?

No. Tornadoes form in an environment where warm air rises quickly. Cold air will resist rising and will tend to prevent tornadoes from forming.


What human activities can increase or worsen the impact of a tornado?

Humans can not effect a tornado. Only nature can make a tornado occur. The cold and hot air curl together and form the tornado.


What two air masses would most likely form a tornado when they meet?

A warm, moist air mass and a cold, dry air mass are most likely to form a tornado when they meet. The warm air rises rapidly, creating instability, while the cold air creates a temperature difference that enhances the development of severe thunderstorms and tornadoes.


Do hot air and cold air make a tornado?

Not directly. When a cold air mass plows into a warm air mass it produces a cold front. Thunderstorms can form along cold fronts. Given a few other conditions these thunderstorms can produce tornadoes.


2 types of air masses that form a tornado?

Most often a warm, moist air mass collides with a cool air mass, a cold air mass, or both. However, such a collision alone will only form thunderstorms. Other factors are needed for those storms to produce tornadoes.


Are tornado winds cold?

It all depends on where and when the tornado occurs, and what the actual temperature is in the area. Most tornadoes form ahead of a boundary where cold air plows into warm air called a cold front. Generally the warmer, and moister the air mass the better chance there is of a tornado forming. Because tornadoes generally form in the rear portion of a thunderstorm the air may be somewhat cooler than in the rest of the warm air mass. Inside the tornado itself there will be another temperature drop due to decompression. So a tornado is generally cooler than its surroundings, but is will still tend to be relatively warm. That said, tornadoes can occasionally form in fairly cool air, in which case the winds would definitely cold, especially with wind shill factored in.


Is a tornado cold or hot air?

Tornadoes typically form in a warm air mass, as that is what provides the energy, though it is often near a boundary with a cooler or drier air mass. However, due tot he pressure drop the air in a tornado is cooler than its surroundings.


How can a tornado form in space?

Tornadoes cannot form in space. A tornado is a vortex of air. There is no air in space.


Is a cold front a tornado?

No. A cold front is a boundary between two large-scale air masses where a cold air mass pushes into and displaces a warmer air mass. Thunderstorms often form along cold fronts, and these storms occasionally produce tornadoes.


What does cold and hot air make?

it makes a tornado