• Watching a tornado form
• “Top ten biggest tornadoes” (his
or her opinion)
• Twin waterspouts Italy
• Really cool waterspout Australia
• Getting too close
• Calm amidst chaos brave or stupid?
Some Basics :
What is a tornado?
Where do tornadoes
occur?
Why do tornadoes
occur?
More
When do tornadoes
occur?
What size are
tomatoes?
I’m totally a moron…..
I mean…
What size are tornadoes?
• Average base diameter about
650 feet.
• Typically have about a 6 milelong path on ground.
• Funnel may be several miles
long!
How fast do they travel and
in what direction?
• Speed across the landscape
averages about 30 mph.
• Of course, the wind speed is much
higher than rate forward progress.
• Travel toward NE or East most of
the time.
How fast are tornadic winds
and how low is the central
pressure?
Maximum wind can be as
much as 318 mph (highest
recorded wind speed on Earth)
What is the duration of
individual tornadoes?
• average time on ground is about
10 – 15 minutes.
• Can remain in contact much
longer, but this is often due to
multiple tornadoes, not a solo
tornado.
How are tornadoes and
tornado damage rated?
•A more instruction interactive…
•More detail about the EF scale
(Enhanced Fujita scale)
Can tornadoes be
predicted?
Short answer:
Not precisely as far as
time, place, strength.
• What are some tornado-like
phenomena?
• What application does studying
dust devils, firewhirls, etc. have
to understanding real
tornadoes?
The End
Tornado activity in the U.S.
Tornado Time!
Central pressure dropped 100 mb in this tornado!