TORNADO
What is a tornado?
A tornado is a violently rotating column of air in contact with the ground. Tornado’s come in
many sizes shapes and colours. They can range in width from several meters to more than a kilometer.
They can move forward at speeds over 140 km/h.
How can you tell there is a Tornado?
Most people recognize the funnel-shaped cloud of a typical tornado…, but the funnel can vary
considerably in appearance. Some are long and slender while others are wider than they are tall. Some of
the worst tornadoes in history weren’t recognized as tornadoes since they were soo large and wrapped in
rain. Most people reported areas of black skies in these cases.
Do tornadoes have color?
Some tornadoes do not have a visible funnel. You can see the funnel because of the dust lifted by
the wind. If there is no dust, you can’t see the funnel. You can tell there is a tornado there because the little
dust on the ground at the base of the invisible funnel is swirling. So the color of the tornado is given by the
color of the dust lifted. CAN YOU NAME POSSIBLE COLORS??? Red, brown, black, white(only when
the sky is dark.)
Did you know tornadoes also have sound?
Yes, people that have had the chance(???) to be close enough to a tornado, describe the sound to
belike a loud roar, like that of a jet plane, or a freight train!!!
What causes a Tornado???
There are three types of tornadoes, can any one name them???
1- Gustnadoes
2- Landspouts
3- Tornadoes
We are going to talk and see how a Tornado is formed, and we won<t talk about the other types, if
you want to know more you can look it up in books or on internet.
Tornadoes are formed under a certain set of weather conditions in which three very different types
of air come together in a certain way. Near the ground, lies a layer of warm and humid air in
which there are strong winds. Colder air and strong winds coming at 90 degrees or less lie in the
upper atmosphere. Temperature and moisture differences between the surface and the upper levels
create what we call instability…while the change in wind with height is known as wind shear. So
there is a wind shear that causes instability.This shear is linked to the eventual development of
rotation from which a tornado may form.
So now, we still don’t have a tornado, here is what’s missing.
A third layer of very warm dry air becomes established between the warm moist at low levels and
the cold dry air aloft. This very warm layer acts as a cap and allows the atmosphere to warm
further…making the air even more unstable. Things start to happen when a storm system aloft
moves in the opposite direction of the air and begins to lift the various layers(the vaccum acts as
the storm aloft!!!). Through this lifting process the cap is removed…and sets the stage for an
explosive thunderstorm development as strong updrafts develop(so the hot air is pushed upward,
and the cord goes downward…always relate to the simulator)
Complex interactions between the updraft and the surrounding winds both at storm level and near
the surface may cause the updraft to begin rotating…and a tornado is born!!!!
SAFETY DURING A TORNADO
-
Protect your head and neck.
Stay away from exterior walls and windows
Go to the lowest floor of the house.
-
Hide under something sturdy
If you are outside and have no access to a basement, lay down in a ditch and protect your neck
and head
Usually tornadoes are rated with the fujita scale. It goes from F0 to F5 and rates the wind speed
and the dammage. F0 is weak, and F5 is winds over 271 miles per hour(400km/h) and the
dammage is devastating
Here is another scale: the moojita scale
M0: cows in an open field are spun around parallel to the wind and become mildly annoyed
M1: cow’s are tiped over and can’t get up
M2: cow’s begin rolling in the wind
M3: cow’s tumble and bounce
M4: cow’s are airborn.
M5: steak!!!
How the tornado simulator works:
The cold air is at the bottom, that’s not like described previously, but wait, let me finish
explaining!!!
The hot air is obviously above the cold air, so it’s the opposite of reality.
When we suck the air in, it’s the storm front and that causes the instability. By the design we cheat a little
bit because it’S in this form,
Soooo, the wind is sucked in as a twirl. This helps, but the principal is the the same.
Remember we said that the cold air is supposed to be on top so what do you expect will happen???????
YES, the tornado is upside down!!!!
Well, I hope you enjoyed the demo(YOU CAN TELL THEM WHAT IS DRY ICE ETC…)