Tornadoes

Tornadoes are not given names a hurricanes are, but may be referred to by the places they hit. In this case, the most destructive tornado on record is the Joplin, Missouri tornado of May 22, 2011 which caused $2.8 billion in property damage.

The film takes place in Oklahoma.

Hurricanes are rated on the Saffir-Simpson scale, which uses maximum sustained wind speeds to sort a hurricane into one of five levels from category 1 to category 5.

Tornadoes are rated on the Enhanced Fujita scale, which uses the severity of the damage inflicted to assign a rating ranging from EF0 to EF5. This scale is an upgrade to the Fujita scale, which went from F0 to F5.

If by type you mean Fujita (F) scale rating, then generally the stronger the tornado the lower the pressure.

Tornadoes can occur almost anywhere in the U.S. and have been documented in all 50 states. They are most common in the Midwest and the South. Hurricanes on the other hand can only directly strike the Gulf and Atlantic coasts. Most of the eastern two thirds of the country can feel the effects of the remnants of hurricanes.

Tornado is a common noun.

the number of hours for a complete rotation of the earth do not change depending on latitude.

The deadliest tornado in Michigan History was the Flint, Michigan F5 tornado. It hit on June 8, 1953, killing 115. It was also the tenth deadliest tornado in U.S. history.

No date is given. It is only said to be June 1969. No such tornado actually occurred; it was only in the movie.

They are both natural disasters that can be very destructive and strike quickly. Other than that they are very different.

Tornadoes cause damage with extreme winds and debris carried by those winds. Damage from less intense tornadoes includes damage roofs and siding, downed trees and tree limbs, and broken windows. More intense tornadoes will rip away roofs and walls, carrying debris away. Some structures may be overturned, blown over, or blown away.

Volcanoes cause damage in a variety of ways. Hot ash and lava flows can start fires. Crusted-over lava flows can essentially bulldoze some areas. Places can by buried under cooled lava, ash, or mud. Mudflows, which are as dense as concrete, can sweep away sturdy buildings. Pyroclastic flows, avalanches of superheated ash, rock, and gas, burn most of what they hit and can strike with force that, in some cases, surpasses even the most violent tornadoes.

Yes. Portions of western North Carolina were under tornado watches on November 15, 2005 and November 16, 2006. A watch might also have been issued on November 22, 1992, but records of watches to not appear to be accessible.

How bad a tsunami or tornado is varies between individual events, but tsunamis are generally worse. While the worst damage of a tornado is usually limited to a small area, a tsunami can easily decimate hundreds of miles of coastline. The worst winds of a tornado usually only affect a given spot for a few seconds. Footage of the 2011 tsunami in Japan show that, in some places, water surged inland for as long as 15 minutes and took even longer to recede. Additionally, water is much denser than air and so can carry much more force. In a tornado you will probably escape harm if you have a few walls to shield you from the wind and debris. In a tsunami, even if you are not injured by the force of the water and debris, you can still drown.

In Tornadoes are most common in the spring and early summer. For the U.S. this period consists of April, May, and June. Tornadoes are a product of severe thunderstorms, most often a type of rotating storm called a supercell.

This qualifies as a high-risk outlook.

A 30 percent tornado probability typically means that the Storm Prediction Center anticipates a major tornado outbreak with the potential for multiple long-track and violent tornadoes.

There is no relationship between tornadoes and earthquakes.

Tornadoes can happen anywhere in the world that gets thunderstorms. Sicily has a rather warm climate and is surrounded by water, which means there is a good amount of energy available for thunderstorms. Storms fueled by Mediterranean moisture encounter wind shear, differences in wind speed and direction with altitude, and begin rotating. That rotation allows them to produce tornadoes.

No, tornadoes can produce winds faster than in any hurricane. There is actually a substantial amount of overlap between hurricane and tornado winds. Winds for an EF0 tornado start at 65 mph and winds in the strongest tornadoes have been recorded at 302 mph. Hurricane force winds start at 74 mph. Hurricanes have had sustained winds as fast as 190 mph with gusts recorded up to 253 mph.

Tornadoes form in the southern hemisphere for the same reason they form in the northern hemisphere. The mechanics are the same. See the related question for what causes tornadoes

Tornadoes are not an annual occurrence in New Hampshire. On average it gets about 3 tornadoes every 4 years.

A tornado results in secondary succession. The plants on the surface are destroyed, but buried seeds generally stay in place and the soil remains mostly intact.

No. A tsunami and a tornado are two completely different things. A tsunami is a large wave or series of waves usually triggered by an underwater earthquake or landslide. A tornado is a violent vortex of air that forms during a thunderstorm. A tornado that forms on water is called a waterspout.

It is not known, as there are no consistent records of global tornado statistics.

People stopped fires in the 1800s by dousing them with water. They didn't use anything to stop tornadoes because that is impossible.

Three possible dangers in a tornado are flying derbis, which is the main cause of tornadic deaths and injuries; collapsing buildings and falling trees, which have been known to crush people; and the winds themselves, which can pick people up and throw them.