Tornadoes
Definition
Tornadoes are one of the most deadly storms on Earth. A large tornado can cause many deaths and millions of dollars in damage. According to Mother Nature Network, a tornado is a violently rotating column of air caused by a thunderstorm. The thunderstorm has colliding air masses that create a horizontal rotating effect in the lower atmosphere. Then, the thunderstorm’s updraft pushes the spinning system to stand up vertically. The tornado develops in the wall cloud that can last over twenty minutes with winds up to 200 mph.
Chronological
There are many reported sightings of tornadoes; however, there are two major tornado outbreaks. The first tornado outbreak is called the Super Outbreak. This is the second largest tornado outbreak during a 24-hour period. According to “Tornado Super Outbreak”, from April 2 to April 4, 1974 there were a total of 148 tornadoes in thirteen states. The states were Alabama, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Mississippi, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. A total of 315 people died and over 5,000 people were injured. The largest tornado outbreak was during April 25 through April 28, 2011. According to Accuweather.com, this outbreak had a total of 289 tornadoes across 15 states with the most deaths in Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Virginia. There were a total of 324 deaths, thousands injured, and millions of dollars in damage.
Order of Importance
The sizes of tornadoes vary. The smallest of tornadoes do little damage while the largest tornadoes kill many people annihilate whole towns or cities. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration uses a scale known as the Fujita Tornado Damage Scale to assess the size and damage of a tornado. The smallest size of a tornado is “F0”. An “F0” tornado has a wind estimate of less than 73 MPH and has light damage such as branches broken off of trees and sign boards damaged. The next size of a tornado is “F1” with a wind estimate of 73 to 112 MPH. This tornado causes moderate damage which means it can peel surface off of roofs and mobile homes can be pushed off of their foundations. The “F2” tornado is the next size up from the “F1” tornado. The wind speed of the “F2” is 113 to 157 MPH with considerable damage. Considerable damage in this case means roofs are completely torn off of the frame, mobile homes are demolished, cars are lifted off the ground, and large trees are snapped. As the scale increases, the severity of the damage increases. “F3”, with winds of 158 to 206 causes severe damage. Roofs and some walls can be torn off of well-constructed houses, trains can be overturned, most trees are uprooted and even heavy cars are thrown. The second largest size of a tornado is the “F4”. The “F4” has winds of 207 to 260 MPH and cause devastating damage. Well-constructed houses are leveled, structures with weak foundations are blown some distances, and cars are even thrown across a long distance. The final and most dangerous tornado of all is the “F5”. The “F5” has winds from 261 to 318 MPH. The damage is classified as incredible, which means strong frame houses are leveled off foundations and swept away, trees are debarked, automobiles are picked up and are thrown in excess of 109 yards. Though the wind speeds and sizes vary, all tornadoes cause some damage.
Compare and Contrast
Tornadoes not only have differences in sizes, but they also have differences in the types of tornadoes. There are six different types, according to The Weather Channel. There is a Supercell Tornado which is where some of the most violent tornadoes develop. “A supercell thunderstorm is a long-lived thunderstorm possessing within its structure a continuously rotating updraft of air,” The Weather Channel states. “These storms have the greatest tendency to produce tornadoes, some of the huge wedge shape.” There is also a Landspout tornado which is weaker than a supercell tornado. The Landspout forms along the leading edge of rain-cooled downdraft air emanating from a thunderstorm, known as a “gust front.” The third type is a Gustnado which is weak and usually short-lived. The Gustnado forms along the gust front of a thunderstorm which appears as a temporary dust whirl or debris cloud. The fourth type of tornado is the Waterspout tornado. A Waterspout tornado is a tornado over water. A few form from supercell thunderstorms but many form from weak thunderstorms. They are usually less intense and cause far less damage. The fifth type of tornado is known as a Dust Devil. This type of tornado is caused during dry, hot, clear days on the desert or over dry land. They are formed by the hot sun during the late morning or early afternoon. These are not associated with a thunderstorm and are weaker than the weakest tornado. The sixth type of tornado is known as a Firewhirl. Sometimes the intense heat created by a major forest fire or volcanic eruption can create a Firewhirl. A Firewhirl is a a tornado-like rotating column of smoke and/or fire. The winds can sometimes go over 100 MPH.
Cause and Effect
The causes of tornadoes have been studied for many years. Meteorologists have all concluded that a tornado forms in conjunction with thunderstorms in places where there is moist, warm air ahead of easterly-heading cold fronts. According to Ehow.com, tornadoes tend to form in the winter and early spring in the central and southern United States, and in the summer in the northern states. These conditions increase wind speed when the wind changes direction in a storm. This leads to an invisible horizontal spinning effect that is tilted vertical by rising air. This is when a tornado forms. The first sign is a funnel cloud extending down from a wall cloud. However, there are other signs as well. The skies will be dark sometimes with a green tint. Hail and severe rain are usually present. If there is a loud roar that sounds similar to a train then that means a tornado is nearby.
Problem and Solution
The big issue with tornadoes is the devastating damage and loss of life they contribute to. Tornadoes cause millions of dollars in damages and unfortunately, tornadoes also kill thousands of people. Unfortunately, there isn’t a possible perfect solution to “curing” tornadoes as they are a part of Mother Nature. However, there have been improvements with survival rates simply because meteorologists have studied tornadoes and the increase in technology allows citizens to be notified a lot sooner. According to the Survivors Club, “the most important rule is to ‘get low.’ Find the lowest, strongest place possible. If you can, rush to your basement. If you don’t have a basement, go to a storm shelter or a neighbor’s basement or the very lowest level of your home.” Other things you can do to increase your chances of survival is to ‘get sturdy’ which means get under a strong table and protect your head and neck with your arms. ‘Get closed’ which means do not open windows or be near windows. ‘Get dressed’ means make sure you are clothed with shoes. The final thing is to ‘get inside’ which is pretty obvious, do not be outside in your yard during a tornado. Even though these solutions are helpful during a tornado, they only increase your chances of survival.
Works Cited
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tornado
http://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/translating-uncle-sam/stories/what-causes-tornadoes
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Outbreak
http://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/historic-tornado-outbreak-3-da-1/48503
http://www.spc.noaa.gov/faq/tornado/f-scale.html
http://www.theweatherchannelkids.com/weather_ed/weather_encyclopedia/tornadoes/types_of_tornadoes/
http://www.ehow.com/info_8204458_causes-effects-tornadoes.html
http://www.thesurvivorsclub.org/extreme/natural-disasters/surviving-tornadoes
http://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/translating-uncle-sam/stories/what-causes-tornadoes
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Outbreak
http://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/historic-tornado-outbreak-3-da-1/48503
http://www.spc.noaa.gov/faq/tornado/f-scale.html
http://www.theweatherchannelkids.com/weather_ed/weather_encyclopedia/tornadoes/types_of_tornadoes/
http://www.ehow.com/info_8204458_causes-effects-tornadoes.html
http://www.thesurvivorsclub.org/extreme/natural-disasters/surviving-tornadoes