Tornadoes

In the spring and early summer the lower atmosphere is warm while the upper atmosphere remains colder from winter. The creates instability that can promote the formation of thunderstorms. Additionally, large scale storm systems often occur that can trigger these storms. At other times of year temperatures are usually too cold or the large scale systems are too weak. Additionally, upper level winds are strongest in the winter, and this continues somewhat into spring. This results in the strong wind shear that gives thunderstorms the rotation they need to produce tornadoes, especially violent ones.

Yes, South Dakota is part of Tornado Alley.

Yes. Cincinnati has been hit by a number of tornadoes, including an F5.

The most dangerous tornado ever recorded in history was the Tri-state Tornado on March 18, 1925. It went through three states (MO, IL, IN) over a 219 mile long damage path, killing 695 people.

It varies. A violent tornado often lasts over half an hour, but some have been more short lived. The longest lived tornado on record, a violent F5 that struck parts of Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana lasted 3 hours and 29 minutes.

Yes it is a tornado over the water. However it is easier for a tornado to form over water and is generally smaller and weaker.

Waterspouts are generally not officially counted as tornadoes unless they hit land.

Every state has had at least a few weak tornadoes.

No, rivers and lakes do nothing to stop a tornado. In fact a large enough body of water can cause a storm to intensify.

Although mountainous conditions are not ideal for tornado formation, tornadoes have gone across mountains.

While it is highly unlikely that such an event will occur, it is probably possible. Violent tornadoes have ocurred along the East Coast before, and there has been no extensive attempt to rate tornadoes that ocurred before 1880, so we have a limited perspective of extreme events where they might only occur once every few hundred years.

The Tri-State tornado of March 18, 1925 was very dangerous, as it was a very large, violent, and fast moving tornado that was difficult to recognize because of the low cloud base. Occurring in a time before there were tornado warnings, this tornado claimed 695 lives, making it the deadliest tornado in U.S. history.

Another one was the Waco, Texas tornado of May 11, 1953. It didn't move as fast as the Tri-State tornado, but it was of similar strength and was surrounded by rain, which made it impossible to see to the naked eye. With 114 deaths this tornado was tied as the deadliest in Texas history.

The Hackleburg, Alabama tornado of April 27, 2011 had some similarities to the Tri-State tornado. This fast moving tornado traveled at 60 mph and was, at times, over a mile wide. Despite warnings this tornado killed 72 people, making it the deadliest tornado in Alabama history.

The Joplin, Missouri tornado of May 22, 2011 moved at about average speed, but it developed and strengthened extremely quickly, reaching EF4 strength only 4 minutes after touching down and EF5 strength not long after. Despite warnings this tornado killed 158 people, making the deadliest U.S. tornado since 1947.

they will possibly hit in van buern where the Arkansas river is close to so the hot air and the cold will meet so they will possibly hit in vanbueren,Arkansas

No the closest was May 14th 1989 when a tornado struck approximately 1 mile away, tornadoes also struck 3 miles away in 2002, 2005, and 2006.

Depending on the intensity of the tornado and how well built the structure is there can be anywhere from minor damage (broken windows, roof surface pulled up) to compete destruction (structure leveled or swept away).

The safest part of a building during a tornado is the lowest part, particularly if it is underground. You also want to put as many walls between you and the outside as possible, so rooms near the center are usually the safest. If central rooms are not an option, you still want to go to a room without windows if possible. Bathrooms and interior hallways are often a good option.

No. Tornadoes do not need bodies of water to form. The most prolific tornado producing region in the world is on the Great Plains of the U.S. which sit in the middle of a continent. There are a few small lakes and rivers there, but these have little to no effect on tornadoes.

Chattanooga is in a tornado-prone region so it stands a good chance of being hit eventually. However it is impossible to predict when the next tornado will hit a specific location, whether it will be in a week or in 100 years.

Oddly, the highest concentration of tornado reports in Canada is actually in southern Ontario, just north of Lake Erie. This, however is due to the high population density, which means that tornadoes are more likely to be reported whent hey do occur. Significant tornadoes are more common in Manitoba, Alberta, and Saskatchewan as they experience some of the same effects that have led to the high incidence of tornadoes in Tornado Alley to the south. Some even consider southern Manitoba to be part of Tornado Alley.

In this region it is not uncommon to have collisions of warm, moist air from the Gulf of Mexico, cool air from northern Canada, and dry air from the Rockies. These collisions result in very strong thunderstorms, with the moist air acting as their "fuel." Additionally, the region often has a layer of stable air called a cap that suppresses storms. This behaves like the lid on a pressure cooker, allowing the atmosphere below it to become increasingly unstable until storms develop explosively. Finally, the region often sees strong vertical wind shear, or a variation of wind speed and direction with altitude. This tilts them in such a way that the updraft and downdraft portions becomes separated and don't interfere with one another, letting the already strong storm further strengthen and last longer. The wind shear also sets the storms rotating, turning them into supercells, the most powerful thunderstorms on earth. It is the rotation within these supercells that can develop into a tornado.

Among tornadoes in general, the strongest tornadoes are those rated EF5 (or F5 for tornadoes before 2007) on the Enhanced Fujita scale. Sometimes a lower rating is given, though, if there is not enough information to confirm that the tornado reached EF5 intensity.

For individual tornadoes that lay claim as the strongest:

The strongest winds ever recorded in a tornado were 302 mph in the F5 tornado that hit the Oklahoma City area on May 3, 1999. However, very few tornadoes actually have their winds measured and others may very well have been stronger. The damage from this tornado was in the F5 range, but other F5 tornadoes have caused more impressive damage.

The most extreme tornado damage ever documented was from the Jarrell, Texas tornado of May 27, 1997. This tornado completely erased part of a subdivision, stripping away houses, grass, trees, streets, driveways, and up to 18 inches of soil, leaving no survivors in the area of worst damage. However, some have noted that the extreme damage may have been partly due to the tornado's slow forward speed, which allowed the tornado's winds to tear away at the same spot for much longer than the typical F5.

Another impressive case occurred in near Philadelphia, Mississippi on April 27, 2011. This EF5 tornado tore across rural areas, so its full destructive potential is not known, but in some areas it scoured soil away to a depth of two feet. Unlike the one in Jarrell, this was a fast moving tornado that did not stay in one place for very long.

Another notable storm was the Tri-State tornado of March 18, 1925. This storm holds several records including the longest path and longest duration of any tornado ever recorded as well as being the deadliest tornado in U.S. history with 695 deaths. Although damage was not as extreme as in Jarrell, this fast moving tornado maintained F4 to F5 intensity along most of its 219 mile long damage path.

Tornadoes have the fastest winds on earth.

Winds in a tornado can reach a little over 300 mph.

However, winds on some of the other planets are much faster. The fastest known winds in the universe occur on Neptune. They can exceed 1,000 mph.

A contusion (bruise) would likely result from a sudden blow to the body.

If there is no shelter available, lie in a a ditch, culvert, or depression. Get as low as possible and cover your head.

If you are caught out doors during a tornado, it is best to find an underground area where the wind can't reach. Don't go somewhere where the wind can flow through as it will possibly intensify wind speeds.

On May 03, 1999, a series of tornadoes hit the suburbs of Oklahoma City.

Now, this is not that unusual for Oklahoma except that one of the tornadoes resulted in a recorded wind speed of 318 MPH or 509 KM/H, the world's fastest tornado ever recorded.

Absolutely yes. In 2008 an EF4 tornado hit the town of Hautmont.

In 1967 a tornado outbreak hit France,Belgium and Netherlands producing an F5 tornado in Palluel and an F4 tornado in Pommereuil with a width of 2.5 km (1.6 mi).

On June 3, 1902 an F3/F4 tornado hit Javaugues reaching a width of 3 km (1.9 mi). (The largest on record in Europe) and finally in 1845 an F5 tornado hit the town of Montville, the strongest on record in Europe.

In addition to these, weak tornadoes occur fairly regularly.