Tornadoes

The Joplin tornado was a devastating EF5 tornado that struck the city of Joplin, Missouri on May 22, 2011. It is most notable for killing 158 people, making it the seventh deadliest tornado in U.S. history and the deadliest to strike the U.S. since 1947. It was by far the deadliest U.S. tornado in the era of modern weather forecasting, killing more than twice as many people as the runner-up. It was also the costliest tornado in U.S. history, causing $2.8 billion worth of damage. It was the culminating event of an extremely brutal series of tornado outbreaks that had begun in April.

There are essentially two levels of tornado prediction: long-term general forecasts and short-term specific warnings.

Long-term forecasts, which are made over the course of hours and days, give an idea of what general regions are at risk on a given day, but cannot tell where or when individual tornadoes will occur. Such forecasts are put together using a variety of tools such as barometers, anemometers, thermometers, and hygrometers. This information is processed using supercomputers to study conditions at different locations and altitudes, and then predict how systems will behave.

Short-term forecasts are given over the course of minutes. These warnings are applied to specific areas that are threatened by a tornado or a thunderstorm that could soon produce one. The primary tool used here is Doppler radar, though forecasters also receive eyewitness reports.

The Waco tornado of 1953 was a third of a mile wide had a path length of 23 miles. Data does not appear to be available on how long it lasted.

We have learned to avoid evacuating towns, as this only leads to people getting caught in their cars. This came from the tragic Wichita Falls, Texas tornado in 1979, which killed a number of people as they attempted to flee.

We have learned the value of live broadcast warnings, such as in the Oklahoma City tornado of 1999, where warnings saved hundreds of lives

While a tornado can occur at any time of day or night, most tornadoes occur in the late afternoon and early evening.

You can't get rid of tornadoes. They dissipate naturally.

Wichita Falls would be the answer, but the 1979 tornado was an F4, not an F5.

There were dozens of tornadoes on May 3, 1999, of which five were killers. The infamous Oklahoma City tornado killed 36 people. Another tornado killed 6 people in the Wichita area while yet another killed 2 people in Mulhall, Oklahoma. Two others killed one person each near Meeker and Hennessey, Oklahoma.

No. Tsunamis are not caused by wind. They are generally caused by underwater earthquakes or landslides. Tornadoes have caused water levels to fluctuate while crossing small lakes, but this phenomenon is more similar to seiches than to tsunamis.

It depends. Most tornadoes are preceded by very heavy rain, but they sometimes form in low-precipitation (LP) storms, which produce little or no rain.

Tornadoes are often, but not always, preceded by heavy downpours, which may or may not stop before the tornado strikes.

Accurate global statistics are hard to com by, but in the U.S., where the most deaths usually occur, tornadoes kill an average of 50 to 60 people per year. Note that this is just an average. In any given year the number of deaths may be significantly higher or lower.

Yes. In a strong enough tornado wind and debris carried by the wind can destroy houses.

Tornadoes can form in mountains, but most do not.

The largest tornado on record struck near El Reno, Oklahoma on May 31, 2013. It was 2.6 miles wide.

The Hallam, Nebraska tornado struck on May 22, 2004.

The visible funnel of a tornado is the result of moist air being pulled into the vortex. The low pressure in the tornado causes a temperature drop, which in turn causes the moisture to condense. Temperature continues to drop as the air rises in the tornado, causing more moisture to condense at higher altitudes..

Yes. The majority of people who experience tornadoes survive without serious injury.

Tornadoes produce very strong winds that can tear structures apart. People are typically killed by flying debris or collapsing buildings.

Most people in the path of a tornado will survive without serious injury, but they will have to deal with the aftermath of property damage and a loss of electricity. Some people, are however, killed or injured, mostly by flying debris.

Since official record began in 1950, California has had 404 recorded tornadoes up through the year 2013. The actual number of tornadoes is likely much higher, as many of the less intense tornadoes went without being recorded.

The most dangerous time of day for tornadoes is generally the late afternoon and early evening.

There were just under 1,700 tornadoes in the U.S. in 2011 in too many locations it count. The worst hit areas include Joplin, Missouri, and numerous towns in Mississippi and Alabama.

The basic idea in tornado safety is to put as much between yourself and the tornado as possible to protect yourself from the wind and debris. In the center part of a house, you will generally have at least two walls between you and the tornado, which will shield you from the vast majority of storms. In a storm cellar it is even better as you are protected by the ground itself. Since you are underground, nothing can come from the side.

A vacuum cleaner and a real tornado both create suction force to pull in debris and particles from their surroundings. However, a real tornado is a natural phenomenon that forms due to atmospheric conditions, while a vacuum cleaner is a man-made device designed for cleaning.