Tornadoes

A twirling funnel cloud is referred to as a tornado. Tornadoes are characterized by a rotating, funnel-shaped cloud that extends from the base of a thunderstorm to the ground. They can cause significant damage due to their high winds and should be taken seriously.

Tornadoes are called "killers" because they have the potential to cause widespread destruction and fatalities due to their strong winds and flying debris. They can demolish buildings, uproot trees, and cause serious injuries to anyone in their path.

The formation of tornadoes is complicated.

First, a condition called wind shear, in which the speed or direction of the wind changes with altitude. If the shear is strong enough it can essentially tilt a thunderstorm, this separates the updraft and downdraft of the thunderstorm, preventing them from interfering with one another. This allows the storm to become stronger and last longer.

Additionally, if the wind shear is strong enough it can start the air rolling in what is called horizontal vorticity. This horizontal vorticity can then be turned vertical by a thunderstorm's updraft. When this happens, the thunderstorm may start rotating. The rotation is especially strong in an updraft called a mesocyclone. If the storm intensifies rapidly enough, a relatively warm downdraft called a rear-flank downdraft or RFD can wrap around the bottom part of the mesocyclone. This can then tighten and intensify its rotation and bring it down to the ground to produce a tornado.

As to their affects, the wind and flying debris in a tornado can damage or destroy vegetation and man-made structures, sometimes to the point of complete obliteration. People and animals caught in a tornado may be injured or killed.

Large tornadoes have been known to lift and carry objects weighing up to several tons and can cause significant damage to structures. The lifting power of a tornado is not well understood and can vary depending on the specific conditions and strength of the tornado.

The air does get sucked upward in a tornado, but a tornado does not create a complete vacuum, if that's what you mean.

Yes, tornadoes can form in Africa, although they are less common compared to regions like the central United States. Tornadoes in Africa tend to be weaker and less frequent, but they can still cause significant damage in affected areas. The most tornado-prone regions in Africa include parts of South Africa and the countries along the east coast, such as Madagascar and Mozambique.

It depends largely on the strength of the tornado.

Weak tornadoes (EF0 and EF1) can break tree limbs and knock over shallow rooted trees. Tornadoes in the EF2 range will snap the trunks of large trees. An EF3 tornado will uproot most trees, some trees may go airborne. A strong EF3 to EF4 can strip the bark off a tree and leave only stubs of the larges boughs.

New Zealand experiences on average around 20-30 tornadoes per year. These tornadoes are typically small and short-lived compared to those in other parts of the world, such as the United States. They are most common during spring and summer months.

There are two ways one might usually form. Some anticyclonic tornadoes form as satellite tornadoes which circle a larger, normally rotating tornado.

Others form as a result of a supercell splitting into two separate storms, one cyclonic and one anticyclonic.. The anticyclonic storm can then produce an anticyclonic tornado.

The winds in even a weak (EF0 or EF1) tornado are powerful, at least 65 mph (105 km/h) and up to 110 mph (177 km/h). This is enough to damage roofs, shatter winds, and topple trees. In intense tornadoes the winds become very violent with the very strongest exceeding 300 mph (480 km/h). Nothing can withstand such winds.

The rotation originate from the speed and direction of the wind changing with altitude. This sets air rolling horizontally. This horizontal rolling can be turn vertical by the updraft of a thunderstorm. This can then tighten and intensify to form a tornado.

Just about. Tornadoes have been recorded on every continent except Antarctica and in all climates except for polar and extreme desert.

However, the United States gets more tornadoes than any other part of the world.

The highest rating on the Enhanced Fujita (EF) scale is EF5. Tornadoes this strong are extremely rare. Since the the scale was first put into effect in February of 2007 only ten tornadoes have been rated EF5.

No, a spacecraft cannot cause a tornado. Tornadoes are caused by atmospheric conditions such as warm, moist air colliding with cool, dry air, and the spinning created by wind shear. Spacecrafts do not have the capability to generate or influence weather patterns on Earth.

Tornadoes are most likely to form in the late spring and early summer when warm, moist air collides with cold, dry air. This collision creates instability in the atmosphere, leading to the development of severe thunderstorms and tornadoes. Additionally, tornadoes are more common in the late afternoon and evening when the atmosphere is most unstable due to daytime heating.

No, tornado alley is not moving east. It will always be a region of high tornado frequency. You may be referring to the relatively high frequency of tornadoes in the Deep South, which is called Dixie Alley. There are plenty of tornadoes here as well, just not quite as many as Tornado Alley in the Midwest.

There were 945 tornadoes confirmed in the U.S. in 1974. However, the actual number of tornadoes was porbably much higher as back then we still missed many of the F0 and F1 tornadoes.

Yes, it is possible for an F6 tornado to form, although it is extremely rare and not officially recognized by the Enhanced Fujita Scale, which currently only goes up to F5. The conditions required for an F6 tornado to occur would be incredibly intense and destructive.

The bathroom is generally thought of the as the safest place to hide during a tornado because they normally don't have windows, and tornadoes can easily shatter the glass of them (and therefore cause injuries).

Yes, tornadoes can touch down at night. In fact, nighttime tornadoes are often more dangerous because they are difficult to spot and people may be asleep, making it harder to receive warnings and take shelter.

No. Tornadoes often form near the back edge of a thunderstorm, and so part of the sky may be blue during a tornado. In tornadic and other severe thunderstorms, it is also not uncommon for the clouds to take on a greenish hue.

Yes, a supercell is a type of thunderstorm that can produce tornadoes. They are characterized by rotation within the storm, which is a key ingredient for tornado formation. When the necessary conditions are present, a supercell can spawn tornadoes.

Us of the Fujita scale was started in 1971. It was replaced in the U.S. by the Enhanced Fujita scale in 2007.

A tornado is more likely to travel over a hill than through a valley, as hills can enhance wind speed and rotation in the atmosphere, which can contribute to the formation and sustenance of a tornado. Valleys, on the other hand, may disrupt the tornado's circulation patterns due to the varying terrain and obstacles present.