What is a Tornado?
The tornado is the most violent storm on earth for its size. The word tornado comes from the Spanish word “tornada” which means “thunderstorm”. A tornado is a violently rotating air column expended to the ground from a thundercloud. The strongest tornadoes can sweep cars, destroy houses, lift a whole train wagon from its tracks. Their rotational speed can vary from 480 kilometers per hour to occasionally 800 kilometers per hour and even faster. The rotating direction of tornadoes is different but in the Northern hemisphere it is usually counterclockwise. Tornadoes move forward with speeds which range from 5-10 to 110 kilometers per hour.
What is a “Twister”?
Twisters are tornadoes which track along the ground for a few miles or less and are narrower than an average tornado – 100 metes of width. Of course some of the more violent twisters can remain in contact with the earth for more than 50 miles. These twisters exceed to one mile in width.
What is a “Waterspout”?
A waterspout is a tornado which forms or passes over a water surface. Waterspouts ,like tornadoes, can occur in many shapes and sizes and often in series or families. Their speed varies from near standstill to 64-80 kilometers per hour. Waterspouts are more frequently formed in tropical waters.Many people think that waterspouts suck the water up to great heights. The truth is that waterspouts can lift the water level only for several metes Water vapour condenses and forms the main visible clouds. The waterspouts are small and with short lives. A waterspout was observed near Massachusetts on Aug.19.1896 which is one of the largest and most famous ones observed ever. Thousands of tourists, several of whom were scientists witnessed this exceptional natural disaster, estimated to be 1095 metes high, 256 metes wide at the crest, 43 metes wide at the center and 73 metes at its base. This remarkable spout lasted 35 minutes. It disappeared and reappeared three times. A spout of that size is undoubtedly formed in conditions on which tornadoes appear over land.
What is a “Whirlwind”?
Whirlwinds can be any rotating masses of air or atmospheric vortex. Unlike the tornadoes, whirlwinds form in an upward direction from the ground in clear, hot ski conditions. Their shape is usually inverted cone-like or cylindrical. The whirls' length ranges from several centimeters to a couple of hundred metes Whirlwinds are usually nicknamed after the visible phenomena that occurs – dust whirls, sand whirls, sand pillars, snow whirls and even snouts. The dust and sand whirls are far and away not as powerful as tornadoes. Like tornadoes and waterspouts, whirlwinds may appear in groups or in series. Whirlwinds reach heights of up to a few hundred metes, and visible heights to more than a thousand metes There is no set upper limit because sailplane pilots have used these naturally ascending spiral currents to reach heights of above 4500 metes Sightings of eleven whirlwinds are reported in Ethiopia . In the Mojave Desert which is situated in eastern California a series of whirls spawned a much larger primary vortex. This phenomenon is nicknamed in India with the nickname “dancing devils”. Fire whirls can cause serious problems in forest places because they are hard to put out.
|
