Tornado's: Climate: The Power of Nature

Tornados
Climate: The Power of Nature

By: Mackenzie Graf
What is a Tornado?
By definition a tornado is a violently rotating column of
air, pendant from cumuliform cloud or underneath a
cumuliform cloud, and often (but not always visible as a
funnel cloud. In order for a vortex to be considered as a
tornado it must be in context with the ground and the
cloud base
How do Tornados Form?

The majority of tornados form from thunderstorms, when warm moist
air from the Gulf and cool dry air from Canada meet they create an
unstable atmosphere. At atmosphere is considered unstable when the
temperature decreases rapidly as height increases. When these two
columns of air meet they are often blowing at different speeds and
coming from different directions. When this happens it creates a wind
shear. When a warm front is met with a cold front the warm air often
gets trapped beneath the cold air, this is when the warm air starts to
rotate. Since the sun is heating the ground it produces more warm
air, this air continues to try to rise until the warm air has enough
mass to push through the cold barrier, this causes a rotating
horizontal column of air.
This diagram shows how tornados

are formed, it shows the warm arm
meeting with the cool air at
different directions producing a
mesocyclone, also known as a wind
shear.
What is a Super Cell?

Supercells are important aspects of turning a wind shear
into an actual tornado. A super cell is a thunderstorm
that is made from a wind shear that occurs between the
surface and an altitude of 20,000 feet, the wind shear
then creates a mesocyclone; a deep, persistently rotating
updraft, witch tilts the storm. This prevents the up draft
from mixing with the downdraft, storm from weakening. A
super cell has the ability to produce very severe weather,
this includes damaging winds, very large hail and
sometime tornados that can range from weak to violent.
Super Cells in Tornado Alley
Types of Tornados
Supercell Tornado, these tornados form from a Super Cell storm ,they are the most common
and most dangerous
Multiple Vortex Tornados, these tornados form when there are two spinning columns of air
rotating around a common center. These tornados can do a lot of damage but only in a small
are since they dont last long.
Waterspout Tornado, these tornados are similar to Super Cell tornados except they form over
a body of water like a lake or ocean, since they form over water little or no damage is done.
Land spout Tornados, these tornados form when a growing cloud engulfs and tightens a
rotating updraft, forming a weak tornado from the ground up. These tornados are not attached
to a cloud like other tornados.
Dust Devil Tornado, these tornados are extremely weak normal tornados that form on a hot
day, when the hot air forms an updraft near the ground and it begins to rotate the dust devil is
formed. It gained its name because the only reason its visible is due to the dust particles it
picks up as its rotating.
A Gustnado Tornado, these tornados are similar to dust devils except they form when a dry
cold updraft of air meets a moist cold updraft of air, this creates a stationary rolling effect for a
few minutes. They are also extremely weak.
Multiple Vortex
Gustnado
Water Spout
Dust Devil
Land Spout
Tornado Speeds and Distance

Tornados can last anywhere from seconds to hours
depending on the conditions, how ever the average
length is ten minutes or less.
Tornados can move at speeds upwards of 60mph, that 96

km, most tornados travel at speeds between 10-20 mph.
Tornados are normally on the ground for a average of five

minutes, this is when the most damage is done.
Fujita Scale
Tornados can produce winds of incredible speeds, its
these speeds that helped scientists come up with a
system of classifying tornados, called the Fujita Scale. It
measures 3 second gusts to determine the ranking of the
tornado. If the gust are lower than 73mph its an F0,
between 73-112 its an F1, between 113-157 its an F2,
between 158-206 its an F3, between 207-260 its an F4
and finally between 261-318 its an F5. This scale also
uses the typical damage to rate tornados. As damage
increases the scale increases as well.
Fujita Scale
Scale
Wind Estimate
Typical Damage
F0
< 73
Light Damage: Some damage to chimneys;

branches broken off trees; shallow-rooted trees
pushed over; sign boards damaged.
F1
73-112
Moderate Damage: Peels surface off roofs;

mobile homes pushed off foundations or
overturned; moving autos blown off roads.
F2
113-157
Considerable Damage: Roofs torn off frame

houses; mobile homes demolished; boxcars
overturned; large trees snapped or uprooted;
light-object missiles generated; cars lifted off
ground.
F3
158-206
Severe Damage: Roofs and some walls torn off

well-constructed houses; trains overturned;
most trees in forest uprooted; heavy cars lifted
off the ground and thrown.
F4
207-260
Devastating Damage: Well-constructed houses

leveled; structures with weak foundations blown
away some distance; cars thrown and large
missiles generated.
F5
261-318
Incredible Damage: Strong frame houses

leveled off foundations and swept away;
automobile-sized missiles fly through the air in
excess of 100 meters (109 yds); trees debarked;
incredible phenomena will occur.
Where do Tornados Occur?

Every continent has experienced a tornado except Antarctica.
Tornados normally occur in middle latitudes in both hemispheres,
between 30 and 50. This is due to the air travel in the area, since
warmer subtropical meets colder polar air at different speed and
direction it creates the perfect conditions for a tornado. Most
tornados occur in the United States, they experience about 1000
tornados a year, these Tornados usually occur in Tornado Valley
a nickname given to the central part of the US where most
tornados occur. Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, South Dakota, Iowa,
Missouri, New Mexico, Colorado, North Dakota, and Minnesota
are the main places considered to be in tornado alley.
This map shows how the

different air currents
make Tornado Alley the
ideal location for tornados
to occur . This is because
of the different
temperatures of air
meeting and the different
directions the air is
coming from.
Damage Done by Tornados

Tornados produce the strongest winds on earth meaning when
they touch down they can create devastating amounts of
damage in just minutes. The strength of the tornado determines
the amount of damage done by them. Even tornados that dont
touch down have the power to destroy the tops of building and
rip off roofs. Those that do touch down have the ability to
destroy everything in their path. Some tornados have even
ripped up the foundations of buildings theyve destroyed. They
can pick up debris and carry it for hundreds of miles. The
Joplin tornado in Missouri that happened in 2011 created nearly
3 billion dollars in damages within the 1 mile that it travelled.
This before and after shot of the Oklahoma Tornado in 2013 shows how devastating tornados can be
Warning Systems
Most cities that are often affected by tornados have highly advanced
warning systems in place. These include sirens, radio, to and text alerts.
These alerts are issued by the national weather forecasting agencies.
Weather forecasters use Doppler radar to track tornadoes and predict if
and when theyre going to happen. There are three levels of alerts. The
first one is Tornado Watch this is issued as a precautionary measure if
there is potential that a tornado could form, if a tornado watch is issued
people should be stand-by for further information. If a Tornado Warning
is issued when a tornado has been spotted or there is proof one is forming,
this is when people should begin to seek immediate shelter. A Tornado
Emergency is issued when a tornado is forming and its expected to touch
down in population dense areas and its expected to be very violent.
Tri-State Tornado
The Tri-State Tornado is the deadliest tornado
in U.S history. The tornado covered a path of
235 miles, it crossed from southeastern
Missouri, through southern Illinois and into
southwestern Indiana, this is the longest path
ever recorded in the world. It lasted 7 hours
and produced over 12 tornadoes from the
same storm. The largest hail was measured
at 11cm. There were 747 confirmed deaths
from this system of tornadoes. At its
strongest the tornado was measured as an
F5, the highest rating on the Fujita scale. The
tornado created over 1.4 billion dollars in
Map showing how far the Tri-State Tornado
damages.
travelled
Pictures of damage from Tri-State Tornado

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Tornados

Climate: The Power of Nature

How do Tornados Form?

This diagram shows how tornados

What is a Super Cell?

Super Cells in Tornado Alley

Tornado Speeds and Distance

Tornados can move at speeds upwards of 60mph, that 96

Tornados are normally on the ground for a average of five

Light Damage: Some damage to chimneys;

Moderate Damage: Peels surface off roofs;

Considerable Damage: Roofs torn off frame

Severe Damage: Roofs and some walls torn off

Devastating Damage: Well-constructed houses

Incredible Damage: Strong frame houses

Where do Tornados Occur?

This map shows how the

Damage Done by Tornados

Pictures of damage from Tri-State Tornado

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