Tornadoes

Most tornadoes in the northern hemisphere rotate counterclockwise due to the Coriolis effect, which causes the air to rotate around an area of low pressure. This rotation is typically more pronounced in stronger tornadoes.

The duration of Enigma tornado outbreak is 15 hours.

Since official record began in 1950, Lawrence has been hit by 5 tornadoes.

The duration of Tri-State Tornado is 3.5 hours.

It is uncertain at this point. If the storms approaching western North Carolina intensify, it will be possible.

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First, WikiAnswers isn't the right source for up-to-the-minute weather. Try Accuweather, at the link below.

Second, it sure looks like it! The storms currently (as of 7:40 PM Eastern Time, 4/28/2014) moving accross Tennessee are showing on the weather radar in all shades of yellows, oranges, reds, purples and even scarier colors.

They don't really. Tornadoes are an erosive force, though significant erosion is rare. The soil or sediment picked up by a tornadoes does eventually get deposited, as does all eroded material, but not as a direct result of any process from the tornado itself.

Tornadoes can be devastating to vegetation and man-made structures, but the ground itself is usually not affected in any significant way except in the most violent tornadoes. In rare cases tornadoes can be stroung enough to scour away the soil.

The ideas is that the mountains would intereferew with and break up the tornado's circulation. In some cases mountains can interefere with the parent storm organizing, but once a tornado develops, it can pass over mountains unhindered.

Yes, extremely violent tornadoes can occur within severe thunderstorm watches. Severe thunderstorm watches indicate conditions are favorable for the development of severe thunderstorms, which can produce tornadoes with little warning. It is important to stay informed and be prepared for rapidly changing weather conditions during such watches.

An isolated tornado in Texas is little different from an isolated tornado anywhere else. An isolated tornado occurs with few or no other tornadoes in the region. Such tornadoes are usually, but not always, weak but are still dangerous. Like any other tornado, an isolated tornado will damage or destroyed trees and man-made structures in its path.

It doesn't really matter.

Although tornadoes tend to come out of the southwest, the direction of movement varies greatly. The strongest winds in a tornado are usually on its right side in the direction of the tornado's movement. However, since a tornado rotates and may have smaller circulations inside it, it is impossible to predict the wind direction for any given location. Violent winds may impact a structure from multiple directions in a short period of time.

Yes, tornadoes are not a significant factor in the weathering of rocks. Tornadoes mainly cause physical erosion by moving and transporting rocks and sediment. Other factors like water, wind, and temperature fluctuations play a larger role in the chemical and mechanical weathering of rocks over time.

The Doppler radar itself does not predict tornadoes, meteorologists do.

Doppler radar can detect the signature of a possible tornado, but it usually takes reports from weather spotter to confirm a tornado is occurring.

The meeting of warm, humid air and cool, dry air is not the direct cause of tornadoes. The boundary where these air masses meet is called a cold front, as the cooler air mass is advancing. Cool, dry air is denser than warm, moist air. As a result, the cooler air mass acts as a wedge, forcing the warm, moist air upward. As the warm air rises it cools and the moisture in it condense. If it is unstable enough, this will lead to the formation of thunderstorms. If a few other conditions are right, these storms may go on to produce tornadoes.

There does not appear to be such an incident based on a look at available data. Such a situation is unlikely to arise, since the Storm Prediction Center is in charge of issuing both severe weather outlooks and tornado watches. If it saw fit to issue a PDS tornado watch, it would likely issue a moderate or high risk outlook as well.

No, tornadoes are typically associated with dark or black funnels due to the debris they pick up. The color of a tornado is determined by the materials it has sucked up and the lighting conditions around it.

This means that there is a chance of tornadoes occurring in a few isolated areas. It suggests that tornadoes may form sporadically and not affect a wide area. Residents in the affected areas should stay alert and be prepared to take necessary safety precautions.

No, a tornado could not have lifted up the Titanic as it was a massive ship weighing over 46,000 tons. Tornadoes are powerful weather phenomena but they do not have the force to lift such a heavy object out of the water.

It is difficult to determine, but the heaviest objects lifted by a tornado appear to be a set of three oil tanks, each weighing 90 tons. The tornado struck Pecos County, Texas on June 1, 1990. The tornado was officially rated F4 as it hit few structures, but of ground scouring and the carried oil tanks suggests that the tornado's intensity was well into the F5 range.

It is safer than flat ground or flimsy structures, because a) you are less directly in the wind flow, and b) you are out of the path of some of the debris being carried by the wind. An enclosed underground or concrete structure is the only truly safe refuge, as bridges and culverts can funnel the wind, dust, and debris.

No, not one that is full of fuel. Rockets weigh tens or hundreds of tons, and it is much more likely that it could blow one over. Even then, they are typically connected quite strongly to a gantry until just before launch.

Tornadoes may lift trucks and train cars briefly, but that is because of their lower average density and large surface areas. Heavier vehicles such as locomotives, bulldozers and steamrollers are seldom if ever lifted airborne.

I searched and I found out that since 1851, when hurricane record keeping began, Florida has seen most of the nation's hurricane action. No other state even comes close. Of the 277 hurricanes that have hit the U.S. coastline, 112 hit Florida. Of the 96 major hurricanes (a Category 3, 4 or 5) to batter the United States, 37 barreled into Florida. ................(source: sarasotamagazine.com) According to Hurricane City.com Sarasota has the following history (br)=brush (ts)=Tropical Storm (bd)=Back Door,meaning coming from over land from opposite coast.Not all names are noted,also storms before 1950 were not named.Not every stat on every storm description is given(since 1871).

Years within 60 miles

1873br,1885br,1887tsbr,1888bdts,1891-92ts,1894,1896br,1897ts,1901bdtsbr

1903bd,1910bdtsbr,1921br,1925,1926bdbr,1933bdts,1935,1941bdbr,1944,1945tsbr,1946,1950br,

1951-59tsbr,1960bd,1966-68br,1988ts,1990ts,2001ts,2004br,2007ts

32 times in 138yrs end of 2008

Names from list above

Easy,How,Hazel,Judith,Donna,Abby,Alma,keith,Marco ,Gabrielle,Charley,Barry,

How often this area gets affected?

brushed or hit every 4.31 years

Average years between direct hurricane hits.(usually within 40 miles to include small hurricanes,not including back door hurricanes)

(7h)once every 19.71 years

Statistically when this area should be affected next

before the end of the 2012 season

Last affected by

Affected by TS Barry on June 2nd ,2007 passing just west while moving NE & weakening with 40mph winds.

Louisiana averages 38 tornadoes per year, but the number of tornadoes in any given year can vary significantly.

Yes. The storm prediction center has specifically mentioned the threat of tornadoes and anticipates that the threat will increase as the front shifts. Given the large area placed under a moderate risk (though this may be due to the hail threat), there is likely some potential for strong tornadoes. More information will become available when the first Day 1 outlook for April 3 is issued at around midnight central time.