Tornadoes

It usually requires a special kind of thunderstorm called a supercell. These storms have a powerful, rotating updraft called a mesocyclone. It is believed that if a mesocyclone intensifies rapidly it creates a downdraft, called a read-flank downdraft or RFD, near the back of the storm. This downdraft wraps around the bottom portion of the mesocyclone, tightening ans intensifying the rotation to produce a tornado.

RFD winds can be very strong, sometimes exceeding 100 mph (160 km/h).

The primary sources of energy for tornadoes and hurricanes are warm moist air from the ocean and latent heat release from condensation. As warm, moist air rises and condenses, it releases heat energy which fuels the storm's circulation and intensification. This process of moisture evaporation, condensation, and heat release drives the strong winds and dynamics of these intense weather systems.

It depends on how strong the tornado is. A weak tornado (EF0 or EF1) will generally only destroy small trees and weakly built structures such as sheds and fences. Stronger structures will only take minor to moderate damage.

A strong tornado (EF2 or EF3) will destroy most trees, vehicles, and some buildings.

A violent tornado (EF4 or EF5) will destroy just about everything in its path.

The tornado intensity scale is based on the Enhanced Fujita Scale (EF-Scale), which measures a tornado's intensity based on the damage it causes to structures and vegetation. The scale ranges from EF0 (weakest) to EF5 (strongest) based on the estimated wind speeds required to cause the observed damage.

Tornadoes usually form toward the back of the storm tha produces them, so you are most likley to experience one after the storm has been going on for a while, often after the rain has mostly passed. Strong winds often occur a few minutes before the tornado touches down, associated with the mechanisms that produce the tornado. In some cases people have reported and eerie silence with, no rain or wind shortly, before the tornado strikes. However, this does not always happen. Some tornadoes have struck in the middle of intense wind and rain with no warning.

Tornado strength is typically measured using the Enhanced Fujita (EF) scale, which ranges from EF0 (weakest) to EF5 (strongest). The rating is based on the tornado's estimated wind speed and resulting damage.

Tornadoes form from rotating thunderstorms, with the updraft within the storm tilting the rotating air upwards. This rotating air then stretches vertically, intensifying the rotation and creating a tornado. Tornadoes acquire their energy from the warm, moist air near the surface that fuels the thunderstorm's updraft.

It is impossible to know exactly how fast the winds were as we did not have the tools to measure a tornado's winds back then.

But since the tornado was rated F5 (equivalent to EF5 on the new scale) winds were probably well over 200 mph.

Being in a classroom during a tornado can be dangerous, but the likelihood of being killed depends on various factors such as the building's construction, the intensity of the tornado, and your proximity to windows or doors. It is generally safer to stay away from windows, seek shelter in an interior room, and follow safety protocols advised by authorities in such situations.

Tornadoes usually strike in warm climates and they are stronger there. In the U.S. they tend to form mostly in the early spring. We call this the "tornado season." The number of funnels observed each year can vary greatly in any given region.

There are about 100,000 thunderstorms that occur in the United States, but only about 1% of those storms produce tornadoes. That doesn't seem like a lot, but if you think about it, that's 1,000 storms that produce tornadoes each year.

Before a tornado, you may experience a drop in temperature, which can make the air feel cool and damp. The weather may also become increasingly humid and still, with a change in wind direction. It is important to be aware of these signs as they can indicate the potential development of a tornado.

Tornado sirens are designed to be loud to alert people who are indoors or outdoors. The noise needs to be easily heard over other sounds and from a distance to ensure it can reach as many people as possible during an emergency.

Tornadoes require severe thunderstorms to form. Such storms usually occur along a boundary between warm, moist air and either cool air, dry air, or a combination of the two.

Tornadoes also require wind shear, which is where wind speed and direction vary with altitude. By a somewhat complicated process this wind shear gives storms the rotation they need to produce tornadoes.

These rotating storms are called supercells.

It varies widely. The average tornado travels about 5 miles.

However, path lengths may range from just a few hundred feet to over 100 or even 200 miles

The longest damage path on record was 219 miles.

A tornado siren is loud in order to be heard from a distance and to alert people even in noisy or windy conditions. The loud volume ensures that it can cut through ambient noise and grab people's attention quickly to take cover and seek shelter.

Some tornadoes simply have very narrow damage paths, producing destructive winds over only a very narrow swath. There are also multivortex tornadoes, in which there are smaller suction vorticies within the main circulation (almost like mini tornadoes within a tornado). These suction vorticies can be much more intense then the rest of the tornado, but are often very small. So one house may encounter EF3 or higher winds, the house next to it may only experience EF0 or EF1 winds.

Quality of construction is also a factor.

Yes, Hurricane Lane was a notable hurricane in 2018 that affected Hawaii. Thunderstorm Alley refers to a region in the central United States where there is a higher frequency of thunderstorms due to the clash of different air masses.

A tornado of moderate strength would be an EF1, with winds in the range of 86-110 mph. The middle categories on the Enhanced Fujita scale, EF2 and EF3 have winds of 111-135 mph and 136-166 mph respectively.

Capsular damage refers to an injury or impairment of the joint capsule, a structure made up of ligaments that surrounds and stabilizes a joint. This can occur due to trauma, injury, or overuse, leading to pain, swelling, and limited joint mobility. Treatment typically involves rest, physical therapy, and in severe cases, surgery may be needed to repair the damaged capsule.

Tornadoes originate from a rotating updraft called a mesocyclone in a supercell thunderstorm.

The mesocyclone forms when air near the storm begins rolling horizontally. This horizontal rolling gets pulled into the updraft and turned vertical. The updraft then takes on this rotation to become a mesocyclone..

The items picked up by a tornado get tossed around and may be carried for long distances before being dropped back to the ground. The debris can cause significant damage to buildings and structures in its path.

There are tornadoes in California, but they are rare and usually weak. The main reason is that cold ocean currents of the California coast tend to stabilize the atmosphere, making it difficult for the strong thunderstorms that produce tornadoes to form as such storms need an unstable atmosphere.

The strength of a tornado is determined by the damage it does to man-made structures and vegetation.

When a structure takes damage from a tornado, the degree of damage, the type of structure, and its quality of construction are used to estimate the strength of the winds that caused that damage. This is then used to sort the tornado into one of six intensity categories of the Enhanced Fujita Scale, ranging from EF0 at the weakest to EF5 at the strongest.