Tornadoes

There are six ratings of tornadoes ranging from EF0 at the weakest to EF5 at the strongest. About 90 percent of tornadoes are rated EF0 or EF1. The higher the rating, the less often it occurs.

Other countries use similar ratings from F0 to F5, as the U.S. did until 2007. The same principle applies here as well.

Tornadoes form when a mesocyclone, a part found in some thunderstorms where air twists and moves upward, gets squeezed into a narrower shape. This causes it to spin faster and reach toward the ground to create a tornado.

Tornadoes that occur over water are typically referred to as waterspouts. They are similar to tornadoes but form over a body of water instead of over land. Waterspouts can be dangerous to marine vessels but typically do not cause as much damage as tornadoes on land.

The Kissimmee, Florida tornado started about 5 miles southwest of Kissimmee or about 15 miles south of Orlando and moved northeast through Kissimmee. It dissipated about 20 miles east of the eastern edge of Orlando.

No. A tornado is a small scale but violent vortex that forms as a result of a thunderstorm and are dependent on a parent storm.
A cyclone is a large-scale low pressure system orders of magnitude larger than a tornado. Cyclones can be violent but do not have to be.
Cyclones and tornadoes both have low pressure and cyclonic rotation, but they are classified separately as they operate on different scales and are powered by different mechanisms

Head to the designated tornado shelter area in the store, typically in the center or basement. If no designated area is marked, seek shelter in an interior room or hallway away from windows and doors. Stay low and cover your head and neck with your arms.

Yes, through the observation of weather patterns and climates.
Yes tornadoes can be predicted by using NEXRAD, Doppler, or WSR-88D radar. The radar images show certain motions in the cell thus telling meteorologists a tornado is possible. However, a tornado could not be forecasted for 5-days out.
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No, Texas typically experiences more tornadoes than Tennessee. Texas has a larger land area and is located in Tornado Alley, a region known for frequent tornado activity, making it more prone to tornadoes compared to Tennessee.

Air in a tornado is rapidly drawn upward. This creates low pressure as more air rushes in to replace it. However this can ever completely fill the pressure deficit until the upward movement stops.

It is best to take shelter underground such as in a basement or cellar. if you do not have a basement find an interior room, closet, or hallway on the lowest floor. A bathtub and bathroom often provide goof protection as well. Find some cover to protect yourself from debris. If you live ina mobile home, leave it for a sturdier shelter.

The path length of a tornado is usually measure in miles. The median path length for a tornado is about 1 mile or 1760 yards. Some path lengths exceed 100 miles. Path width, which is sometimes mistakenly called length is the actual size of the tornado. A typical tornado is 50 yards wide but sizes can range from as little as 1 yard (record smallest) to 4,440 yards or 2.5 miles (record largest). Relatively few tornadoes are over 400 yards wide.

Yes. Florida has one of the highest annual tornado counts of any state. It has had more than 3,000 tornadoes in the past 50 years, most of them weak. Tornado do not have names, but are simply referred to be where or when they hit. Some notable ones include the Kissimmee tornado of 1998 and the Groundhog Day tornadoes of 2007.

Tornadoes have occurred since the dinosaurs and beyond. The first recorded tornado was, to my knowledge, was in Britain in 1091. The size was F4, and it destroyed the London Bridge, homes, and chapels. So, in conclusion, tornadoes were always known.

When warned of a tornado, people should get into a basement. If a house lacks a basement, a bathtub, or a small closet in the middle of the house is best. If caught outside, the best defense is to lie down flat in a ditch.

There have been thousands of tornadoes in the last 5 years. These are the 3 most notable.

The Joplin, Missouri tornado of May 22, 2011. This EF5 tornado devastated Joplin, killing 158 people and costing $2.8 billion. This makes it the costliest tornado in U.S. history, the 7th deadliest, and the deadliest since 1947.

The Hackleburg, Alabama tornado of April 27, 2011. This EF5 tornado devastated a series of small towns in northern Alabama along a damage path over 130 miles long. The tornado killed 72 people and cost $1.25 billion. This makes it the deadliest tornado in Alabama history and the 4th costliest in U.S. history.

The Tuscaloosa-Birmingham tornado of April 27, 2011. This EF4 (possibly EF5) tornado devastated parts of Tuscaloosa and Birmingham, Alabama, killing 64 people and causing $2.2 billion in damage. This makes it the second deadliest tornado in Alabama history and the second costliest in U.S. history. It briefly haled the title of costliest until the Joplin tornado 3 weeks later. This and the Hackleburg tornado were part of the 2011 Super Outbreak, the largest and costliest tornado outbreak ever recorded.

That is diffcult to determine. The fastest winds evere recorded, 302 mph, were measured in the Oklahoma City tornado of May 3, 1999. However, only a few tornadoes ever have their winds measured, and most of those only have them measured during a small portion of their existence. So other tornadoes, which produced more extreme damage, were probably stronger. The most extreme damage on record came from the Jarrell, Texas tornado of May 27, 1997. This tornado completely scoured away a nieghborhood, blowing away not just houses but grass, streets, driveways, and up to 18 inches of soil. However the extreme degree of damage may have been partly due to its slow movement allowing it to ravage the same spot for a long time.

Other noteworthy candidates that went beyond even what is typically observed in an F5 tornado include:

The Sherman, Texas tornado of May 15, 1896

The Tri-State tornado of March 18, 1925

The Flint, Michigan tornado of June 8, 1953

The Smithville, Mississippi tornado of April 27, 2011

Two dangers associated with tornadoes are extreme winds capable of causing significant damage to buildings and structures, as well as flying debris that can result in injury or death. Tornadoes can also create powerful thunderstorms, lightning, and flash flooding in their vicinity, posing additional hazards to those in the affected area.

Tornadoes do have a scale by which they are rated. It is the Enhanced Fujita scale. However, trackers do not use it to rate the tornado as it occurs. Damage is assessed by experts after the tornado has passed.

I do not have real-time information on specific weather events. Tornado sightings are typically confirmed by meteorologists or local authorities based on eyewitness reports, radar data, and damage assessments. It is best to check with official sources for accurate and up-to-date information on the tornado in Bicester to Kidlington.

Tornadoes occur more. While an active year might see a few dozen hurricane-strength tropical cyclones in a year, the United States alone documents an averages of more than 1,200 tornadoes annually.

In most cases, no and it does not have to be an F5. The average tornado, regardless of intensity, moves at about 35 mph. A cheetah can definitely run faster than this, but only for a short time as it will tire quickly. By contrast a tornado will generally maintain its speed for most of its existence, which for an F5 tornado, is usually for more than half an hour and often over an hour.

Tornadoes are most common in the spring and early summer months in the United States, particularly from March to June. This period typically aligns with the peak of tornado season due to the clash of cold and warm air masses creating favorable conditions for severe weather.

Yes, although thunderstorms and hurricanes always involve large - sometimes torrential - amounts of rain. Tornadoes may involve torrential amounts of rain, some rain, or very little to no rain at all.

Tornadoes occur during thunderstorms. In most cases, though not all the time, tornadoes develop in the rear portion of the parent storm. So in most cases, yes, you will experience thunderstorm conditions before a tornado hits. However, some tornadoes can develop at or near the leading edge of a line of thunderstorms.