Tornadoes

Michican gets its fair share of tornadoes. Compared to other states, it is close to the median. It usually gets between a dozen and two dozen tornadoes per year, but has seen a few major outbreaks.

There are two types of waterspout: tornadic waterspouts and "fair weather" waterspouts.

Tornadic waterspouts are normal tornadoes that form from supercells that happen to be on water.

However, most waterspouts are of the "fair weather" variety. These waterspouts are weaker than supercell tornadoes and they typically are associated with developing storms while normal tornadoes are produced by very strong mature thunderstorms. Their formation is more like that of dust devils.

They form when a line of developing storms or even cumulus clouds with strong convection move into an environment where the water is warmer than the air. The air just above the surface will be warm and naturally tend to rise. If there is weak rotation near the surface it can be taken up into this updraft and intensify. As this happens the ground level updraft becomes one with the higher-level updraft from the developing storm or cloud and the two joined updrafts enhance one another..

It actually varies with region, with the deep south and down toward Florida getting their season in late winter/early Spring, while the upper Midwest has their tornado season during the Spring and Summer. Tornadoes are most common in general from the months of April through June, which corresponds to tornado season in much of tornado alley through the Ohio River Valley.

However, tornadoes can (and have) occurred any day of the year.

A tornado is a violent whirlwind, not a solid object that you can touch. There is no definite edge. If you are close enough to be near the edge of the funnel or debris cloud, you will likey be knocked over or picked up by the wind, or killed or injured by debris.

The most recent confirmed tornado of 2010 was an EF2 that struck near Elsinore, Missouri on the evening of December 31, though other, as yet unconfimed tornadoes may have occurred later that night as tornadoes continued into the very early morning hours of January1, 2011.

A large body of water, such as an ocean or one of the Great Lakes can have an impact, but it is difficult to predict. The water may cool the air, causing the storm to weaken which can cause a tornado to narrow or dissipate. However, the added moisture cloud also cause a storm to intensify, allowing a tornado to continue longer and/or grow larger.

No. Tornadoes can happen at any time of year, and the peak of activity in North America usually comes during spring. Tornadoes are most common in spring and summer because that is when the lower atmosphere is generally the warmest, a condition that powers thunderstorms. Tornadoes are less common and generally not as strong in fall and winter, but tis still do occur every year.

Yes, there are. There have been pretty strong ones too.

It's really scary but stay calm I pray to god and it helps its like a really horrible thunder storm.

For others however, experiencing a tornado can be exciting and even awe inspiring. It depends on who is witnessing the tornado, the appearance of the tornado, and whether or not the tornado is heading towards the observer.

First of all a bathtub is locate in the bathroom, where the plumbing can help reinforce the walls to some degree. Second, if you get low in the bathtub it helps shield you from debris, the main danger in a tornado.

On average Canada gets 80 to 100 tornadoes each year.

In the past 5 years (2010-2014) tornadoes have hit every state except Alaska.

See the related question for what causes tornadoes in general. The event started when a low pressure system started pulling warm, moist air off the Gulf of Mexico several days before the Parkersburg tornado. As the system shifted northward it brought that air to Iowa. Then the system drew in a dry air mass from the north.this forced the moist air mass upwards, triggering the development of severe thunderstorms. Very strong wind shear set these storms rotating. One of these was exceptionally powerful, producing the EF5 tornado that struck Parkersburg.

Based on official records, which have been kept since 1950 between Alabama has had 7 F5 or EF5 tornadoes. Iowa, Kansas, and Oklahoma trail close behind at 6.

The worst place to be in a tornado is outside or in a car. Outside, of course, you are completely exposed. Cars offer little to no protection from debris, the main killer in a tornado, and can be easily rolled or tossed as well. Other bad places to be include under a bridge, and in a trailer.

The risk is fairly substantial. Tennessee is in the northern part of Dixie Alley, a region similar to Tornado Alley that stretches primarily from Louisiana though Alabama.

NC is about average compared with the rest of the USA.

Yes the forward speed of a typical tornado is about 30 Mph. Since the fastest car has a speed comparable to 250+ mph ... it sure can outrun the tornado

Most cars could outrun a tornado if you don't get to close to it. Once you get close the flying objects and debris on the ground could stop you no matter how fast the car. Never try to outrun a tornado seek shelter at once.

It's not so much Atlanta itself as the region that Georgia is in. The warm, moist climate provides excellent conditions for strong thunderstorms. Storms like these are the ones that can occasionally produce tornadoes.

Tornadoes are rated from F0 to F5 on the Fuijta scale (EF0 to EF5 as of 2007 in the U.S.). These ratings are based on damage.

F0, light damage: minor roof damage, gutters knocked down, tree limbs broken, shallow rooted trees toppled.

F1, moderate damage: roofs of frame homes badly stripped of material, trailers severely damage and overturned, windows broken.

F2, significant damage: Roofs torn from frame houses, mobile homes completely destroyed, cars lifted.

F3, severe damage: roofs and walls torn from well built houses, cars thrown, most trees uprooted.

F4, devastating damage: well built houses leveled, trees stripped of bark, poorly anchored buildings moved off foundations.

F5, incredible damage: well built houses swept away, foundations wiped clean.

Tornadoes can happen at any time of year in Alabama, but the greatest amount of activity is in the spring, spanning March through May. There is a second large spike in tornado activity in November.

That is difficult to determine. Since individual towns are small targets tornado activity tends to be sporadic. Since records began in 1950 there have been 4 recorded tornadoes in Thornton, all in a period running from the early '80s to the mid '90s This results in a frequency of tornadoes somewhere between once every 4 years and once every 15 years.

Yes. F4 is the second strongest category on the Fujita scale, indicating an extremely powerful tornado that can completely level well-built homes.

There were 15,701 tornadoes in the U.S. in the years 2000-2011 with a preliminary count of 919 so far in 2012, bringing the total to 16,620. So far 2012 has probably had more tornadoes than the preliminary count indicates. So that figure will probably rise as some reports of minor tornadoes file in late.