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Tornadoes are most often spawned by giant thunderstorms known as "supercells." These powerful, highly organized storms form
when warm, moist air along the ground rushes upward, meeting cooler, drier air. As the rising warm air cools, the moisture it
carries condenses, forming a massive thundercloud, sometimes growing to as much as 50,000 ft. in height. Variable winds at
different levels of the atmosphere feed the updraft and cause the formation of the tornado's characteristic funnel shape.
•When different temperatures and humidity form to make thunderclouds
•Warm, wet winds from the Gulf of Mexico move northward during spring and summer this then causes a meeting of colder, dryer Canadian winds which are moving southward.
•Dry line.
•Gulf of Mexico at a height of over 10,000 feet.
•When the updraft is strong, the column can rise to heights of 10 miles or more, twisting at speeds of up to 100 miles an hour. The rotating winds produce strong storm clouds about 70,000 feet high, sometimes spreading 10 miles wide.
•Supercells.
•Mesocyclones.
CASE STUDY: United States
There are myths around where tornadoes occur such as around rivers, lakes and mountains, these areas are actually safe from tornadoes.
However everywhere is at risk from tornado attacks.
There are certain characteristics which give “clues” about where tornadoes happen.
Dark often greenish sky
Rotating wall cloud
Large hail
Loud roar (similar to a train)
Tornadoes commonly occur in a preferred direction of south-west to north-east at speeds of 30-40 mph
Example:
One tornado occurred in the Wyoming mountains at an elevation in excess of 10,000 feet!
FUJITA TORNADO SCALE
Category Sustained Winds Damage
F-0 40-72mphChimney damage, tree branches broken
F-1 73-112mphMobile homes pushed off their foundations or overturned
F-2 113-157mphConsiderable damage. Mobile homes demolished. Trees uprooted
F-3 158-205mphRoofs and walls torn down. Trains overturned. Cars thrown.
F-4 207-260mph Well constructed walls levelled
F-5 261-318mphHomes lifted off foundations and carried considerable distances. Autos thrown as far as 100 meters.
Tornado Alley in America
Social Economic EnvironmentalAt least 38 people killed:•14 people in Missouri•11 people in Tennessee•7 people in Kansas
Businesses were damaged Trees uprooted
Houses blown apart Infrastructure was blocked by debris
Animals loss of habitat
Power lines uprooted Businesses were closed Possible pollution from burst pipes
Destruction trail of 400m wide
Communication was lost due to bent pylons
Fires from burst gas pipes
Barely a home/business was left untouched
Emergency services were under pressure
Services were erected
Hot meals were provided
Social Economic Environmental40 people killed Farm business were ruined
from cattle being destroyedTrees destroyed in the path of the tornado
1,000 injured Infrastructure is damaged from debris on the road therefore trade cannot occur
Pollution caused by raging fires from buildings
12 villages in the districts of Netrokona and Mymensingh were hit and destroyed
Massive debt from damage caused by the tornado
Thousands left homeless, from houses being blown away
More medicines have been requested from Dhaka as well as relief materials
Aid is being imported in the form of cash, rice and corrugated tin for shelter. Also clothes are being imported
Hospitals are full, they have a stream of patients who are injured, and it cannot cope
Tornadoes are very stressful events which can destroy the lives of many people in a matter of seconds. Many people have different coping strategies such as:
Moving Away from the problem area
Constructing shelter to withstand the forces of a tornado
Do nothing!- they believe it is an act of god!
Board up windows
Moving away only during tornado season
Many people cope with tornadoes in different ways. Some countries do not have the equipment to successfully predict these tornadoes and therefore the death rate and the secondary effects may be much larger than a country where they can successfully prepare.
It is said that advance planning and a quick response is the key to surviving a tornado, however many LEDC’s do not have this equipment
What to Do…….
If you are at Home:
If you are at Work:
If you are in a Car:
Although tornadoes can never be stopped, management processes help aid the strain and stress and also damage that tornadoes can cause. By having initiatives in place and government grants to help when tornadoes occur, the re-building of businesses, houses and schools can be done quickly and efficiently causing the least amount of disturbance and upset to the people effected
There are ways to predict tornadoes, and tornado chasers help aid this. A group called “project VORTEX”are tornado chasers. They have the specialist equipment to constantly monitor the weather, for example the Weather Doppler Radar System