0
Tornadoes
A tornado or twister is a violent, rotating column of air which typically has a speed ranging from 177 km/h to over 480 km/h. This devastating windstorm is usually characterized by its funnel-shaped cloud that extends toward the ground.
8,901 Questions
How has technology changed the way you detect tornadoes?
Technology has led to the creation of doppler weather radar in the past 30 years. This radar can detect the signature of a tornado or its parent circulation, which allows advance warnings to be issued without the need for visual confirmation. More recently, dual-polarized radar was developed, which can distinguish between rain, hail, and tornadic debris. If tornadic debris is detected it means that a tornado is or recently was lifting material into the sky.
Is a cyclone a type of hurricane or tornado?
Neither. A cyclone is a broad scale low pressure system with cyclonically spiraling winds. A hurricane is one variety of cyclone, but not all cyclones are hurricanes. A tornado is an entirely different type of weather phenomenon.
The damage from a microburst appears to radiate out from the center while tornado damage occurs along the path that the tornado took. In a microburst trees fall or are bent outwards, with trees that neighbor each other generally falling in the same direction. In a tornado downed trees to not have the same order, and fall in multiple directions. Those left leaning may hint towards an inward or rotating flow. Some tornadoes have roughly crescent shaped areas of more severe damage, indicating a multivortex structure.
Can a tornado come out of an everyday cloud?
No, tornadoes do not come directly out of clouds. Tornadoes form within thunderstorms when there are specific atmospheric conditions present, such as strong wind shear and instability. Everyday clouds do not have the potential to produce tornadoes.
Does the rotation of a tornado go counterclockwise in the southern hemisphere?
Yes, tornadoes in the southern hemisphere typically rotate counterclockwise due to the Coriolis effect. This effect is caused by the rotation of the Earth and influences the direction of rotation of weather systems in different hemispheres.
Do palmtrees stay in the ground when there is a hurricane or tornado yes or no?
No, palmtrees do not stay in the ground during hurricanes or tornadoes. The strong winds from these natural disasters can uproot palmtrees due to their shallow root systems, especially if the winds are extremely powerful.
Why is a tornado's funnel wide at the top and narrow at the bottom?
The funnel of a tornado consists of water droplets which condese as a result of a temperature drop inside the tornado that results from the low pressure. Temperature decreases with increasing heght, alowing more water vapor to condense.
To a limited degree, yes. There are two main levels. The first level looks at general conditions and determines if a general area (such as a few states) is at risk of experiencing tornadoes in the next few hours or days. If conditions are right for tornadoes, then this will be mentioned in a weather outlook. If conditions look favorable enough a few hours in advance, a tornado watch may be issued
The second level looks for strong rotation in thunderstorms which can produce a tornado in a matter of minutes. In this case a tornado warning is issued for areas in the path of the storm.
How many tornadoes occur in Alabama each year?
On average, Alabama experiences around 50 tornadoes each year. The state has a higher frequency of tornadoes compared to other states, primarily due to its location in the region known as "Dixie Alley."
What happened in the tornado in Xenia Ohio in April 1974?
The Xenia tornado was an F5. It killed more than thirty people and a significant portion of Xenia. It was a very tragic event.
It began in Bellbrook, Ohio at 4:42 pm and moved northeasterly out of Warren county into southeastern Montgomery, and finally into central Greene county where it entered the Arrowhead subdivision and basically destroyed it. It continued through Xenia and the downtown area killing five people in the A&W Root Beer stand and headed for Central State University.
When it was over at least thirty-two people had been killed and subsequently two more firefighters died after attempting to fight a furniture store fire two days later. More than 1,600 were injured and thousands were left homeless. Weatherman Gil Whitney was one of the many heroes of that day who spotted the hook echo at WHIO-7 television station and went on the air to alert the viewers.
What instrument do they use to predict a tornado?
Doppler radar is used to predict tornadoes when they're already occurring.But aside from that tornado predictions are very uncertain and difficult to make. The durations of tornado warnings are counted in minutes and even then there are many false alarms.
Why are tornadoes so difficult to predict?
We do not know everything about the weather. We do however know how most weather-formations build up. This is also true for the conditions causing tornadoes. The problem involves accurate predictions as in the actual weather forecasts.
We can predict tornadoes by watching the skies. This can be done by satellite's, by radar, from ground, or a combination. This is all adding accuracy to the predictions.
The biggest problems of accurate weather forecasts is the amount of data needed to be calculated in order to provide predictions. We know to a certain extent how to use the data in calculations but this is still an inaccurate science at best. Some even believe that a butterfly flapping its wings at the wrong place at the right time can influence the weather on the opposite side of our globe.
The smallest changes in weather one place can change the outcome another place. We live on a living planet and as of that we simply have to accept certain conditions.
As we make weather models to support the globe as it is today, these models may have to be changed in the future as we change our globe due to deforestation and building dams, cities etc.
The most advanced models of our world today are able to predict weather up to 30 days forward. Not to a great accuracy as for which specific day and time it will start to rain, but within a few days. This sort of predictions is used in Shipping and Oil industry.
As of being able to actually calculate (I would rather use that word than "predict", because it all boils down to calculations). We can not "predict" a certain weather or a certain condition only for a small geographic area. This add uncertainty to predictions. The tornado touching down may be 3-10 miles away from where it was thought to be.
The amount of data needed for exact predictions/calculations are simply not available or possible to collect. To illustrate this further, consider the network of measuring-stations on ground. We can improve this network by placing one station for every 100 Square meters. This could be a kind of "back bone" in a new statistical model. Even so, with such a network, we would not be able to calculate proper predictions.
Reasons: The lower atmosphere tell one story, but is dependent upon higher altitude atmospheric conditions. Let's say we one day manage to measure (I don't know how, just lets say it is possible) the atmospheric conditions for every 100 meter up into the outer edge of our atmosphere.If we had all this statistical information readily available, then all we need to do is to put this into a statistical model, and we would have a really great tool.But even so!We need to be able to calculate accurately, and we can add much more information into this statistical model.We need to know the position of the moon and its distance from earth at all times. We need to know the position of all the other planets in order to calculate gravitational fields. Ultimately, we need to use all this information in combination with data from the sun. Is there going to be a solar flare? will the solar flare be directed so that it will be caught up in gravitational fields and be led towards earth in part or in full.It may sound like science fiction, but everything is calculateable if we have the power to do it and the knowledge as in how to do it.The amount of data needed for accurate calculations is immense. I do however beleive that it can be done.
One method could be to force an issue to the producers of mobile phones and computer equipment. Governments could force measurement-capability into all units, and the units could send data of measurement every time the measurements change. This would be able to provide very localized data for most of the globe where people are. It would still not be enough though.
What is the temperature during a tornado?
The typical temperature during a tornado can vary, depending on the temperature of the air inside the tornado. There have been temperatures recorded as low as 50 degrees and as high as 103 degrees.
If you are religious you might say God makes tornadoes.
However, from a scientific standpoint the answer is nobody. Tornadoes are a natural phenomenon that result from a certain set of weather conditions, not the actions of any person or persons.
Tornadoes do not exactly split. Some tornadoes have more than one vortex within the main circulation. In most cases these vortices are hidden inside the funnel, but if conditions are right they can become visible, resulting in a tornado with multiple funnels. The appearance of these vortices or the visual effect of one coming out from behind another can sometimes make it look like a tornado is splitting.
Does the rainbow touch the ground?
A rainbow is a trick of the light and has no physical properties. The water drops that cause the light to show up as a rainbow can come down and touch the ground, so a rainbow can look like it is touching the ground around waterfalls and similar water features, and is so high up in the air that it appears to touch the horizon. But the rainbow will move as the observer's eyes move, so you can never get to the rainbow, but it may appear to someone else that you have reached the end of the rainbow.
If you were in a plane looking down on a rainbow you would see a complete circle. From below we only see part of it because of the Earth's curve etc. And as described above only you can see the particular rainbow that you are seeing. It looks different to anyone else because of the way the millions of raindrops reflect light individually and so differ even to someone next to you.
Most tornadoes form in thunderstorms. When the cT and cP air masses meet they create instability in the atmosphere. As the cT air mass start to go up the cP air mass (basically the air) within the updraft tilts the circulating air from horizontal to vertical. The area of the rotation can be 2-6 miles wide and can extend through out the storm.
Can tornadoes join and then split in two?
YES. it is possible, however it is very unlikely. Tornadoes are a rare phonemon and if you are lucky to see one join, you are lucky. The possibility is very slim that you will ever see it split back up.
Does a hurricane or tornado cover more ground surface?
A hurricane typically covers a larger ground surface area than a tornado. Hurricanes are large, swirling storms that can span hundreds of miles and affect large portions of coastal regions, while tornadoes are smaller, more localized funnel clouds that typically cover a few miles at most.
What are some myths about tornadoes?
Top 5 Myths and Misconceptions
Myth or Misconception #5 .... Highway overpasses are a safe place to shelter if you are on the road when you see a tornado coming.
Myth or Misconception #4 .... Opening windows to equalize air pressure will save a roof, or even a home, from destruction by a tornado.
Myth or Misconception #3 .... Tornadoes never strike big cities.
Myth or Misconception #2 .... Some towns are "protected!"
Myth or Misconception #1 .... The southwest corner of a basement is the safest location during passage of a tornado.
Other Myths & Misconceptions:
You can always see a tornado coming.
Tornadoes always travel southwest to northeast.
Tornadoes can't cross rough terrain, water, or occur at high elevation.
You can outrun a tornado in your car.
Radar will give you plenty of warning.
Opening windows will equalize air pressure and prevent an explosion
A highway overpass provides good shelter from a tornado.
What is the best and safest platform to purchase Cryptocurrency?
One of the best, profitable and secured platforms or any cryptocurrency is Kraken. You will need to create a free account and you will also receive $1000 USD each time you refer a successful Kraken account holder.
Why do tornadoes form mostly in the Great Plains state?
The Great Plains are where cool, dry air meets warm, moist air This triggers the formation of thunderstorms that then interact with wind shear, which is also common in that region, to start rotating. The rotation within these storms can then produce a tornado.
Another factor on the Great Plain is something called a cap. The cap only lets the strongest storms develop so that they don't have to compete with weaker storms for energy. This allows them to grow even stronger.
The Great Plains see a high frequency of tornadoes because of their ideal climatic setup. In the spring storm systems cause warm, moist air from the Gulf of Mexico to collide with cool air from Canada and dry air from the Rockies, resulting in the formation of strong thunderstorms. About a mile off the ground a layer of stable air holds thunderstorm activity back, allowing instability to build underneath it. As a result when the storm break through the cap the instability will be enormous, leading to explosively powerful thunderstorms. At the same time wind speed and direction varies with altitude, which sets these storms rotating and also strengthens the updraft. This rotation combined with strong thunderstorm updrafts can then produce tornadoes.
How would you describe a tornado?
A tornado is a violently rotating column of air extending from the base of a thunderstorm to the groun,d often made visible by a funnel or cone shaped cloud. Tornadoes are capable of causing very severe damage.
Yes.The last tornado most powerful hit the town of Duduza in 2011, it was a EF3 tornado that kill 1 person and wounded 166 people.
In November 14,2008 a tornado hit the town of Molweni killing 8 people.Maybe this tornado reached the EF4 rank whit brick houses levelled on a path long 10 km.
An F4 tornado in January 18, 1999 killed 25 people and wounded 500 on a path of 120 km. This was the tornado with more victims in South Africa.
