|
Tornadoes
What is a
tornado?
A tornado is a
funnel-like storm of strong winds.
The United
States gets about a thousand tornadoes a
year.
|
|
|
|
Causes
|
Effects
|
- Formed by an
instability in the
atmosphere.
- Usually form
during thunderstorms.
- A downward
flow of cold air from clouds meets a rising flow
of warm air from the ground.
- When the
conditions are just right, a tornado will
start.
|
- Houses are
destroyed
- People and
animals can be killed
- Crops are
destroyed
- Disease can
spread
- Water gets
contaminated
- Communities
are demolished and must be rebuilt
|
|
|
Types of
Tornadoes
They are
categorized as F0-F5 on the
Fujita-Pearson
Scale.
- F0 -
light
- F1 -
moderate
- F2 -
considerable
- F3 -
severe
- F4 -
devastating
- F5 -
incredibly powerful
|
|
|
|
|
Top Ten
Disasters
|
March 18,
1925
|
Illinois,
Indiana, & Missouri
|
689 People
Dead
|
F5
|
|
May 7,
1840
|
Louisiana &
Mississippi
|
317 People
Dead
|
F?
|
|
May 27,
1896
|
Missouri &
Illinois
|
255 People
Dead
|
F4
|
|
April 5,
1936
|
Mississippi
|
216 People
Dead
|
F5
|
|
April 6,
1936
|
Georgia
|
203 People
Dead
|
F4
|
|
April 9,
1947
|
Texas, Oklahoma,
& Kansas
|
181 People
Dead
|
F5
|
|
April 24,
1908
|
Louisiana &
Mississippi
|
143 People
Dead
|
F4
|
|
June 12,
1899
|
Wisconsin
|
117 People
Dead
|
F5
|
|
June 8,
1953
|
Missouri
|
115 People
Dead
|
F5
|
|
May 11,
1953
|
Texas
|
114 People
Dead
|
F5
|
|
Safety Tips
- Stay calm!
- Look for safe shelter
like a basement, small closet or bathroom
- Stay away from
windows - the broken glass can cause injuries
- Listen for reports on
a portable radio
- Keep a weather radio
with batteries if you live in an area with lots of
tornadoes
- Protect your body
with a mattress or blankets
- Evacuate mobile homes
and find shelter in a solid structure
- If you are out in the
open, find a ditch or overpass to hide in
|
Facts
- Tornado came from the
Spanish word tronada.
- Other names are
twisters or cyclones.
- Characterized by
rapidly rotating columns of air hanging from cumulonimbus
clouds.
- At ground level they
usually leave a path of destruction only about 50 miles
wide and travel an average about 8 to 24
kilometers.
|
