Tornadoes A tornado is a violent rotating column of air extending from a thunderstorm to the ground. The most violent tornadoes can produce massive destruction with wind speeds of 250 miles per hour or more. The typical tornado moves from southwest to northeast, but they have been known to move in any direction. The average forward speed of a tornado is 30 miles per hour but it may vary from stationary to 70 miles per hour. Although tornadoes occur in many parts of the world, they are found most frequently in the United States east of the Rocky Mountains during the spring and summer months.
In an average year, 800 tornadoes are reported nationwide, resulting in 80 deaths and over 1, 500 injuries. All thunderstorms are characterized by updrafts, rising air currents which supply the warm, humid air that fuels thunderstorms; sometimes, however, the column of rising air becomes a vortex-a funnel cloud, or if it reaches the ground, a tornado. A tornado is often located at the edge of an updraft, next to air coming down from the thunderstorm with falling rain or hail. This explains why a burst of heavy rain or hail sometimes announces a tornado’s arrival. As air rises from the ground in the tornado’s vortex, a low-pressure area is created near the ground. Air rushes to fill this area, causing additional damaging to areas not directly hit by the tornado.
As air rushes into the vortex, its pressure lowers, cooling the air. This cooling condenses water vapor in the air into the tornado’s familiar funnel-shaped cloud. As the swirling winds picks up dust, dirt, and debris from the ground, the funnel turns even darker. Experts once thought tornado winds exceeded 500 miles per hour. Research in recent years, however, has shown that winds rarely exceed 250 miles per hour and most tornadoes have winds of less 112 miles per hour.
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... ground. The most violent tornadoes are capable of tremendous destruction with wind speeds of two hundred and fifty miles per hour ... be as high as three hundred miles per hour in most violent tornadoes. Wind speeds that high can cause automobiles ... Tufty, Barbara; 1001 Questions Answered about Hurricanes, Tornadoes, and Other Natural Air Disasters; Dover Publications, Incorporated, August 1987 ...
An average tornado will be 400 to 500 feet wide and travel four and five miles on the ground, lasting only a few minutes. A mile-wide tornado is extremely large, and tornadoes like these are very rare. Many tornadoes are small, less than 100 feet wide, and last only a few minutes. A few monster tornadoes are a mile wide or larger, and can last for an hour or more. Tornadoes are measured by the Fujita-Pearson Tornado Scale. They range anywhere from a F-0, being the weakest to a F-5 being the strongest.
The strongest tornadoes come from the kind of long-lasting fierce thunderstorms known as super cells. As the name implies, these are intense thunderstorms, which can produce large hail and downburst’s in addition to tornadoes. Super cells are most common on the Plains in the Southeast and across the Midwest, but do occur elsewhere. Tornadoes can be very dangerous and destructive. Because of this fact, the National Weather Service issues tornado watches and warnings. A tornado watch is issued to alert people of the possibility of tornado development in your area.
A tornado warning, on the other hand, is issued when a tornado has actually been sighted or is indicated by radar. There are also certain environmental clues that can be seen if a tornado is about to occur. The sky is often dark or even a greenish color. Large hail can also be present. Many people say that a tornado makes a loud roar that sounds similar to a freight train. When a tornado is coming, you have only a short time to make life-or-death decisions.
If you are in a house, the safest place to go is the basement. If there is no basement in the house, get to the lower level of the building and go to an inner hallway or a smaller inner room without windows. Go to the center of the room and get under a piece of sturdy furniture such as a workbench or heavy table and use your arms to protect your head and neck. Mobile homes are particularly vulnerable. So if you are in one, make sure you get out of it and take shelter in a building with a strong foundation.
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If shelter is not available, lie in a ditch or low-lying area a safe distance away from the unit. If you are in a car during a tornado, never try to out drive it. Tornadoes can change direction quickly and can lift up a car or truck and toss it through the air. Instead, get out of the car immediately and take shelter in a nearby building.
If there is no time to get indoors, get out of the car and lie in a ditch or low-lying area away from the vehicle. However, be aware of the potential for flooding. If you live in a tornado area, it is necessary to be prepared in case of one. Some supplies that you should have on hand are: flashlight, battery-operated radio, extra batteries, first aid kit, emergency food and water, non-electric can opener, and essential medicines.
It is also helpful to designate an area in the home as a shelter, and practice having everyone in the family go there in response to a tornado threat. Since tornadoes are not totally understood, there are people who drive around chasing tornadoes and researching them. These people are called storm chasers. The storm chasers main objectives are to photograph the storm structure from birth to maturity and collect meteorological data in and around the storm environment, including sampling temperature, dew point, wind speed and direction. This job can be very dangerous and risky because the workers must get close to the tornado. As we have disgusted, it is important to be knowledgeable of these furious storms.
Tornadoes have taken many lives. However, many of these could have been prevented if the proper precautions were followed. By designating a particular area of the house for your family to take shelter, you can help your family to be ready in case of a tornado.
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