The vast majority of tornadoes have cyclonic rotation, meaning that those in the northern hemisphere rotate counterclockwise while those in the Southern Hemisphere rotate clockwise. About one tornado in every thousand breaks this trend.
A tornado is a very localised intense low pressure system. In the Northern Hemisphere it will rotate anticlockwise, similsr to a hurricane/low pressure system. In the Southern Hemisphere it will rotate clockwise.
This term most likely refers to a multiple-vortex tornado. A tornado is itself a vortex that can sometimes contain two or more smaller vortices that move with the tornado's rotation. These vortices pack stronger winds than the rest of the tornado, and often result in areas within a tornado's path where damage is more severe than it is elsewhere.
If it's enough to be classified as a tornado, it will damage your house. Generally, winds in excess of 60 mph are considered sufficient to cause visible damage, though at this point it will be superficial unless a tree falls on ths house.
A wedge tornado is a tornado that appears wider than it is tall.
No. A tornado and a twister are the same thing.
Yes. A tornado has a center of rotation.
A radar can detect rotation within a supercell thunderstorm, which is a key ingredient for tornado formation. When a tornado forms within a supercell, the radar can detect the rotation associated with the tornado, providing valuable information for forecasting and warning purposes.
An individual tornado cannot change the direction that it rotates, however in rare cases a tornado may rotate in the opposite direction from what is norm (nearly all tornadoes rotate counterclockwise in the northern hemisphere, and clockwise in the southern).
Yes. A tornado is a violently rotating column of air, so one cannot form without rotation.
Not exactly. A tornado itself is a violently rotating windstorm that usually creates a condensation funnel, but a tornado can develop without a funnel.
A tornado warned storm is a thunderstorm for which a tornado warning has been issued, meaning that the storm is producing rotation that can spawn a tornado.
No. Rotation in a tornado is not uniform.
The rotation in a tornado is driven by the wind shear, which is the change in wind speed and direction with height. This wind shear creates a horizontal rotation that is then tilted vertically by updrafts in the storm, leading to the spinning motion of the tornado.
Thunderstorms form and start rotating. This rotation can then tighten asn intensify into a tornado.
When surface winds slow down in a tornado due to ground friction, the tornado may weaken or dissipate altogether. This is because a tornado's strength is dependent on the fast rotation of air at the surface, so when this rotation slows down, the tornado's intensity is reduced.
The rotating updraft within a thunderstorm, known as a mesocyclone, is responsible for creating the conditions that can lead to a tornado. When this rotating air column tightens and extends to the ground, it can form a tornado.
The most valuable tool is doppler radar, which can detect the rotation in a thunderstorm that can produce a tornado, and even the rotation of the tornado itself. The introduction of dual polarization in these radars can be used to detect debris lifted into the air.