It depends on how well attached the roof is, but it would usually take winds of at least 120 mph (193km/h) to remove the roof of a building. This is in the range of an EF2 tornado.
False. Tornadoes cause damage primarily through their high winds and flying debris. The rotation of the tornado can produce strong winds that can easily rip roofs off buildings or collapse walls, but they do not directly cause homes and buildings to cave in.
Estimated winds for an EF1 tornado are 86-110 mph.
It destroys property in two ways. First of all, the intense winds of a tornado can damage or destroy most property. Secondly, it picks up objects like furniture and parts of buildings, turning them into high speed projectiles.
The force of a tornado comes form a turning, rising mass of air in a thunderstorm called a mesocyclone. Sometimes a downward-moving wind called a downdraft can wrap around the mesocyclone and make it narrower, which causes it to spin faster.
In a tornado, air pressure decreases at the center of the funnel due to the rapidly rotating winds. This decrease in pressure is what causes buildings to implode and debris to be lifted into the air. On the outer edges of the tornado, air pressure may increase due to the convergence of winds entering the tornado.
A tornado produces very powerful, rotating winds. Buildings and vegetation in the path of the tornado may be damage or outright torn apart by these winds. If the tornado is strong enough, it will pick up pieces of buildings it destroys, creating fast-moving debris that adds to the destruction. Flying debris, collapsing buildings, and being picked up and thrown by the winds may lead to injury or death.
False. Tornadoes cause damage primarily through their high winds and flying debris. The rotation of the tornado can produce strong winds that can easily rip roofs off buildings or collapse walls, but they do not directly cause homes and buildings to cave in.
No, buildings do not explode due to low pressure in a tornado. The destructive force in a tornado comes from high-speed winds and flying debris, not pressure differentials. Buildings may collapse or sustain damage from the strong winds and debris impact.
Estimated winds for an EF1 tornado are 86-110 mph.
A tornado causes damage to property through strong winds that can uproot trees, rip off roofs, and collapse buildings. The debris carried by the tornado can also act as projectiles, further damaging structures in its path.
How fast a tornado is moving refers to how fast the tornado itself travels from point A to point B. For example, a tornado moving towards at 30 mph and is a mile away will reach you in 2 minutes. The rotational winds of a tornado refers to how fast the tornado itself is spinning, which is generally faster than its forward speed.
An EF2 tornado is considered the beginning of a strong or significant tornado. An EF2 tornado has estimated winds of 111-135 mph. These winds can tear roofs from well built houses, snap large trees, toss cars, and completely obliterate mobile homes. While tornadoes of this strength do not usually kill they are still very dangerous.
It destroys property in two ways. First of all, the intense winds of a tornado can damage or destroy most property. Secondly, it picks up objects like furniture and parts of buildings, turning them into high speed projectiles.
The winds of a tornado are very vast. The force the winds carry can tear things apart or push them past their breaking point. The winds even in a "weak" tornado can also topple trees onto buildings. The winds in strong tornado can propel objects at high speeds, causing more damage than the wind alone. The stronger a tornado gets, the larger and heavier objects it can carry.
Roofs can be lifted off buildings in tornadoes due to the intense upward and rotational forces created by the tornado winds. These winds can create areas of low pressure on the roof, causing it to be literally sucked off the building, especially if the roof is not securely attached. Additionally, the wind can get underneath the roof and lift it off due to the lack of proper anchoring or fastening.
No, that is a complete myth. It is the wind and debris in a tornado that destroys buildings. First the pressure drop is not enough to cause significant damage to a building. The largest reliably recorded pressure drop in a tornado was 100 millibars, but a pressure difference of about 350 millibars is needed to destroy most buildings. Second, buildings are not airtight so pressure will equalize quickly. Third, even if the two statements above were not true the winds and debris in moderate to strong tornado would create enough holes to equalize pressure, if not destroy the building before the center of the tornado (where the lowest pressure is) reaches it. A tornado with a 100 millibar pressure drop would produce winds strong enough to completely level most structures.
A tornado has extremely powerful winds, far stronger than those of a normal storm. The winds can tear away at buildings or simply push them over. If a tornado is strong enough the winds pick up objects and turn them into high speed projectiles that can cause even more damage.