Tornadoes

There were 325 tornadic fatalities from the April 25-28 2011 tornado outbreak of which 320 were on April 27.

Yes, a snow tornado, also known as a snow devil or snow whirlwind, can form in certain conditions where a vortex of air picks up snow from the ground. However, snow tornadoes are not as common as their warm-weather counterparts.

It is too early to tell. Currently the area under the high-risk outlook is covered by two tornado watches, which discuss the non-tornadic threats that would be covered by a severe thunderstorm watch.

No. The apparent increase in tornado activity through the 20th century is the result of improved detection of smaller, weaker tornadoes. The activity of strong to violent (F2-F5) tornadoes in the United States has actually decreased overall since the 1950s and 1960s.

Low-topped cumulonimbus clouds can easily bring thunderstorms. Tornadoes are less likely than in a high-topped storm, but are still possible.

If you are referring to cumulonimbus clouds with a low base, then yes. In fact, tornadoes develop mor easily in low-based storms.

Thunderstorms and tornadoes are typically associated with cumulonimbus clouds, also known as thunderstorm clouds. These clouds are vertically developed and can produce severe weather conditions due to the strong updrafts and downdrafts that exist within them.

Brazil has only ever had one tropical cyclone (the generic term for hurricanes, typhoons etc.) that reached hurricane intensity in its recorded history. The terms hurricane and typhoon are only used to describe such storms in the northern hemisphere, and typhoon only applies in the western Pacific.

It varies. Many small, weak tornadoes touch down and never cause damage or only cause damage to trees, so there is no cost of damage. When weak (EF0 or EF1) tornadoes do hit property, damage is typically in the tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of dollars. Costs may occasionally reach into the millions.

However, not all small tornadoes are weak. A small but intense (EF3+) tornado striking a community can cause damage in the millions to tens of millions of dollars.

No. Many tornadoes form in a rain-free portion of their parent thunderstorms. Some tornadoes form with low-precipitation supercells, which produce little or no rain.

No. Many tornadoes form in a rain-free portion of their parent thunderstorms. Some tornadoes form with low-precipitation supercells, which produce little or no rain.

I'm unable to provide real-time updates on specific recent events. Tornadoes can occur in various locations around the world, primarily in Tornado Alley in the central US but they can also occur in other regions. I recommend checking official weather sources or news outlets for the most up-to-date information on recent tornado occurrences.

Tomcat Alley was created in 1994 for the Sega CD gaming platform. It is a flight combat simulator game that puts players in the cockpit of an F-14 Tomcat fighter jet.

No. Although some tornadoes do occur in the winter, most occur during spring and summer.

Tornado Alley covers an area of hundreds of thousands of square miles. It would be impossible to name all the places there. Additionally, the boundaries of Tornado Alley are not officially defined. Some areas may be included in Tornado Alley on one map, but not on another.

The Fujita (F) scale was originally developed by Dr. Tetsuya Fujita at the University of Chicago. The current scale, the Enhanced Fujita (EF) scale was developed by a large group of engineers and scientists working at Texas Tech University.

A tornado can become bend in such a way that a portion of the funnel is sideways, yes. However, it the vortex is completely sideways so that it does not make contact witht he ground. If you see a long cloud that seems to rotate on its side during a thunderstorm, what you see is most likely not a tornado but a roll cloud.

They aren't. Tornadoes are more violent than hurricanes. The winds of both hurricanes and tornadoes are driven by the pressure at the center of the storm being lower than that of the surroundings. Tornadoes produce a similar pressure drop to hurricanes, but over a much sorter distance. This means the pressure gradient is steeper, and the air is subjected to a greater force.

Not really. Although there were some attempts at warnings during that general time period, no warnings were issued for the Waco tornado, largely due to failures in communication. The Waco tornado served as a catalyst to develop a warning system.

Tornado acitivty in the United States is monitored primarily by the Storm Prediction Center and the National Climatic Data Center, both of which are branches of NOAA. Tornado activity in Canada is monitored by Environment Canada.

The official death toll is listed at 15, but analysis suggests that these deaths were actually from two separate tornadoes. The tornado that hit Water Valley killed 8 people, 7 of them in Water Valley. The other 7 deaths, farther to the southwest, were from a tornado that ocurred earlier from the same thunderstorm.

The statement "Hurricanes cover a larger area than tornadoes" is true.

"Hurricanes have strong winds" is also true unless there is a second part to it.

Both hurricanes and tornadoes kill people.

While tornadoes can be destructive, they play a role in nature by helping to maintain the balance of Earth's atmosphere. They can also bring valuable research opportunities for meteorologists to better understand severe weather patterns.

Bay City, MI, has had tornado warnings and severe weather alerts in the past, but there is no documented historical record of a tornado actually touching down in the city. However, tornadoes can occur in any location under the right conditions.

There are a number of reasons Tornado Alley gets so many tornadoes. The region is the site of frequent collisions of warm, moist air from the Gulf of Mexico, cool air from 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, allowing only the strongest to develop. As a result the strong storms don't have to compete with weaker ones for energy and so become even stronger. 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.

Other parts of the world do see such conditions and thunderstorms at least occasionally, but not with the same frequency as in Tornado Alley.

There are more tornadoes in Alabama compared to hurricanes. Alabama is part of a region known as Tornado Alley, which experiences multiple tornadoes each year. Hurricanes are less common in Alabama, but the state can still be impacted by hurricanes that make landfall along the Gulf Coast.