TORNADOS

BY,JUSTICE BAKER

WHAT IS A TORNADO?

• “ A tornado is a violent rotating column of air extending from a thunderstorm to the ground.”

• “Damage paths can be in excess of one mile wide to 50 miles long. In an average year, 1000 tornadoes are reported nationwide.”

• “They can destroy large buildings, uproot trees and hurl vehicles hundreds of yards.”

WHAT CAUSES A TORNADO?

• The intense spinning of a tornado is partly the result of the updrafts and downdrafts in the thunderstorm (caused by the unstable air) interacting with the wind shear, resulting in a tilting of the wind shear to form an upright tornado vortex.

• Tornadoes form in unusually violent thunderstorms when there is sufficient (1) instability and (2) wind shear present in the lower atmosphere.

•

WHAT PREDICTION TOOLS ARE USED TO PREDICT A TORNADO• According to the US Department of Energy, the main equipment

used to predict tornadoes is the Doppler radar system. Doppler radar can measure wind velocity, direction of the wind inside the storm and the predicted rainfall.

• In long term forecasts, which predict overall weather patterns, different instruments are used including thermometers, barometers, hygrometer and anemometers to measure temperature, pressure, humidity, and wind speed and direction. Some of these instruments can be mounted on weather balloons.

WHAT ARE THE EFFECTS OF A TORNADO?

• Tornadoes form in conjunction with thunderstorms in

places where there is moist, warm air ahead of easterly-heading cold fronts.

• They tend to form in the winter and early spring in the central and southern United States, and in the summer in northern states.

WHERE DOES TORNADOS MOSTLY APPER?

• The most active region for tornadoes is in in Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, and Nebraska.

• Other hot spots for tornadoes are in Florida, Australia, South Africa, India ,Bangladesh ,and Argentina.

HOW CAN A PERSON PREPARE FOR A TORNADO?• Create a multi-purpose kit, full of supplies for any emergency that

you may face. You want to include enough supplies for you and your family for at least 72 hours. The basics are:

• •Water — 1 gallon per person/day

• •Food — non-perishable.

• •Battery-powered or hand-crank radio

• •Flashlight and extra batteries

• •First aid kit

• •Local maps

• •Cell phone with chargers, external battery or solar charge

• •Important family documents, such as copies of insurance policies, birth certificates, social security cards, etc

HOW DOES THE STRENGTH OF THE TORNADO IMPACT THE CITY?

• The impact of a tornado results in both direct and indirect losses to the local economy.

• Direct losses result from the destruction of assets from the initial impact of the tornado and include the loss of human lives, roads, power and phone lines, crops, factories, homes, and natural resources.

SOURCES

• https://www.caredash.com/articles/how-to-be-prepared-for-a-tornado

• https://www.google.com/

• http://www.weatherquestions.com/What_causes_tornadoes.htm