answersLogoWhite

0

Storms are classified as tornadoes when winds are from 40 mph to 72 mph. These tornadoes cause light damage, chimney damage, and broken tree branches.

User Avatar

Wiki User

12y ago

What else can I help you with?

Continue Learning about Physics

How do tornadoes stop if they form on land?

How tornadoes stop is not fully understood, though it has more do do with the mechanics of the storm that produces the tornado rather than what surface with form on. The best explanation so far is that cold air from the rainy portion of either the tornado's parent storm or a nearby storm undercuts the updraft that sustains the tornado. This chokes of the supply of warm air that feeds the storm tot he point that it can no longer support a tornado.


What type of pressure is in the center of a tornado?

The center of a tornado is an area of intense low pressure.


The Fujita Scale classifies tornadoes based on their wind speed and the what?

The Fujita scale actually classifies tornadoes based on the amount of damage they do to buildings and plants. If a small tornado with extremely high winds and a small footprint takes out a farmhouse and a corn field, it's bad. But if a tornado that has winds not as high as that small one but has a footprint a quarter mile across sweeps through a town and shreds it, that's much worse. The former tornado will have a rating lower on the Fujita scale than the latter one will. Note that the damage assessment and the application of a Fujita scale rating will come after the tornado has passed.


Why does a tornado lose power?

It is not fully understood how tornadoes dissipate. Most often, it is believed that cold or dry air enters the updraft of the tornado's parent storm, cutting off the supply of energy that powers both the storm and the tornado. Sometimes the storm loses energy as the heat of the day dissipates with the setting sun, or as the system supporting it retreats. The storm may also lose the rotation it needs to produce a tornado, such as by merging with a squall line.


What causes the movement of a tornado?

Tornadoes are caused by the rotation of supercell thunderstorms within a specific atmospheric environment. The combination of wind shear, instability, moisture, and a triggering mechanism such as a cold front or dryline sets the conditions for tornado formation. The rotation within the storm can intensify into a tornado when it reaches the ground.