TORNADOES

CAUSES OF TORNADOES

• Tornadoes are caused when different temperatures and humidity meet to form thunderstorms.
• Tornadoes occasionally accompany tropical storms and hurricanes that move over land.
• Most violent tornadoes are capable of tremendous destruction with wind speeds of 250 mph or more.

FUNNEL AND WALL CLOUD

• A wall cloud is a relatively small lowering of the base of a storm, and it may or may not have rotation within it.
• A funnel cloud is a more narrow, rotating cloud that typically extends from a wall cloud, though not always. If the rotation associated with the funnel cloud makes contact with the ground, then it is termed a tornado.

THE DIFFERENT CATEGORIES OF TORNADOES

• Tornadoes are classified into five categories F-0 through F-5.
• F-0 tornadoes are the mildest.
• F-5 tornadoes are the most dangerous (and the rarest).
• F-0 40-72 mph, Light damage,chimney damage, tree branches broken
• F-5 261-318 mph, Violent damage, homes lifted off foundation and carried considerable distances, autos thrown as far as 100 meters

TORNADO ALLEY

• Tornado alley is in Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, and South Dakota.
• There is also a secondary tornado alley in Ontario, Canada which runs from the Great Lakes region to the upper St. Lawrence valley.

3 ENVIRONMENT ISSUES THAT TORNADOES HAVE ON THE ENVIRONMENT

• Tornadoes can destroy trees and other vegetation and erode topsoil

MOST DESTRUCTIVE TORNADO IN THE U.S

• The most extreme tornado in recorded history was the Tri-State Tornado, which roared through parts of Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana on March 18,1925.
• It holds records for longest path length at 219 mph , longest duration at about 3.5 hours, and fastest forward speed for a significant tornado at 73 mph anywhere on Earth.
• In addition, it is the deadliest single tornado in United States history.

TORNADO THAT HAPPENED LOCALLY

• The last tornado that happened locally is the one that happened in Granbury,TX in 2013
• About 100 people were injured as homes were destroyed.

TORNADO SEASON

• Tornado season in Texas runs from April to October.
• This is when more storms are produced and the air is most humid.

WHY TORNADO SEASON IS IN THE SPRING

• Tornadoes are most common in spring and least common in winter.
• Tornado occurrence is highly dependent on the time of day, because of solar heating.
• Worldwide, most tornadoes occur in the late afternoon, between 3 pm and 7 pm local time, with a peak near 5 pm.
• Destructive tornadoes can occur at any time of the day.