Tornadoes

Oh, dude, if you're in a car during a tornado, you should definitely try to drive at a right angle to the tornado's path. But like, if you can't outrun it, just find a low-lying area away from trees and lie flat in a ditch. And like, if you have time, maybe update your Instagram story with a tornado emoji, you know, for the drama.

Tornadoes don't have a taste, as they are natural phenomena made up of violently rotating air and debris. However, the aftermath of a tornado can leave behind a mix of dirt, debris, and destruction, which may evoke sensations or tastes associated with dust and earth. The experience of being in a tornado might also include the metallic tang of rain or the smell of wet earth, but these are not flavors of the tornado itself.

Tornadoes do not have much of an effect. They can temporarily disturb the surface of lakes and rivers.

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Generally not. Most tornadoes move in an easterly direction at about 30 mph. It is rare for a tornado to be stay in one place. However, most tornadoes don't last long enough to go very far. A fair number of tornadoes will travel several miles, though. The most destructive tornadoes, those that make national headlines, tend to be longer-lived, often traveling 20 miles or more. A few tornadoes have traveled well over 100 miles.

The term that describes using ammo to injure or kill enemy soldiers and destroy property or equipment is "combat operations" or "military engagement."

It depends on the intensity of the tornado and the size of the plane. As an example, depending on the design, a Boeing-737 weighs about 30 to 50 tons empty and about 55 to 95 tons fully loaded. Based on records of large objects being moved, a strong enough tornado, almost certainly an EF5, could lift a plane at the lower end of this range. Smaller airliners could probably be lifted in that case as well.

A violent tornado, however, would place an enormous amount of shearing stress on a plane, something planes are generally not designed to withstand. So, a commercial airplane struck by such a strong tornado would likely be torn apart rather than lifted as a whole.

To apply for a tornado storm shelter grant from FEMA, visit FEMA's website and search for available grant programs. Review the eligibility criteria and application requirements, then complete and submit the application with all necessary documentation. Be sure to follow up on your application status and provide any additional information requested by FEMA.

Warm, moist air, such as that found in the tropics is what fuels thunderstorms, and strong thunderstorms are what produce tornadoes. However, tornadoes are more often found in more temperate areas, where colliding air masses can produce even stronger thunderstorms.

In the Midwest collisions of cool, dry air with warm, moist air often produces strong thunderstorms that can in turn produce tornadoes. Summer is, of course, the warmest season and warmer air provides more energy to power thunderstorms.

Hurricanes are huge and form over the course of days, making them easy to track by satellite. Various imaging techniques can gather data about conditions inside the hurricane. By looking at what weather systems are near the hurricane it is possible to predict the track. Hurricanes usually track westward, but high pressure systems generally make hurricanes take right turns, while low pressure systems lead to left turns. Given this it is possible to give an approximate forecast of the path. The conditions along the path (humidity, sea surface temperatures, wind shear) and whether or not there is land can be used to forecast intensity.

Tornadoes are much smaller and form more quickly, making them harder to track and predict. Longer term, ranging from hours to days are applied to regions, predicting the probability that tornadoes will occur within a large area. They are based on factors such as temperature, humidity, wind shear, and how conditions vary with altitude. Short term predictions, which occur over the course of minutes are based on radar imaging and spotter reports. Doppler radar can detect features within a thunderstorm that can produce a tornado, and can sometimes detect the tornado itself. Spotters are people deployed in the field who can visually confirm if there is a funnel cloud or tornado. Based on what direction a storm is moving it can be possible to warn people in the path. However, sometimes a tornado forms quickly enough or is small that it evades detection and there is no warning.

Yes, tornadoes can occur in the prairie regions of North America. The flat terrain and abundant moisture in the prairies make them conducive to the formation of tornadoes, especially during the spring and summer months when warm, moist air collides with cool, dry air.

The ability to predict tornadoes is very limited.

On the long term (hours to days) meteorologists look for instability in the atmosphere; high instability means a high potential for strong thunderstorms. The other main factor is wind shear, which gives storms the rotation they need to produce tornadoes. Looking at these factors and a few others it is possible to estimate the potential for tornadoes occurring within a large region, though it is still impossible to predict whether any specific location will be hit.

On a shorter term scale of minutes meteorologists look at radar data from individual thunderstorms to determine their chances of producing a tornado and possibly catch a tornado in the act of forming. This is when specific locations may receive a tornado warning if it is necessary. Eyewitness reports from trained spotters are also use in these short-term predictions.

A funnel cloud that touches the ground becomes a tornado. It is the result of a rotating column of air extending from a thunderstorm cloud to the ground. Tornadoes can cause significant damage and pose a serious threat to life and property.

Hail forms in the strong updraft of a severe thunderstorm, which keeps the hailstones airborne as they form. Tornadoes require a specific type of severe thunderstorm called a supercell. The tornado itself forms from a strong, rotating updraft which can also generate hail.

Tornadoes and hail are often associated together because they both form in severe thunderstorms. In these storms, strong updrafts can lift hailstones high into the atmosphere, where they grow larger before falling to the ground. Tornadoes can also form from the rotation and instability within these same severe storms.

No, not all supercell thunderstorms cause tornadoes. Supercell thunderstorms are known for their rotating updrafts, which can lead to the formation of tornadoes. However, tornadoes are not always produced, as a combination of atmospheric conditions and other factors are necessary for them to form.

Tornadoes are not given names as hurricanes are, but are often referred to by where they hit. So it would be called the Auckland tornado.

Air masses of low density tend to rise because they are less strongly affected by gravity than cool air masses. Rising warm air masses is the primary cause of convection on earth. Thunderstorms are a product of convection. Tornadoes are a product of thunderstorms.

Tornadoes are considered the most destructive storms in the smallest space. They are characterized by intense winds rotating in a small area, causing significant damage to structures and landscapes in their path.

In a way, yes. Tornadoes form from a larger, preexisting rotating updraft called a mesocyclone. It is believed that strong winds from a special downdraft wrap around the bottom of the mesocyclone, causing it to tighten and intensify to produce a tornado. Generally, the stronger the mesocyclone, the stronger the tornado.

The average tornado is 50 to 100 yards wide.