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What is a Tornado? | Weather Science | SciShow Kids

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Tornadoes

What is a tornado?
A tornado is a violent rotating column of air extending from a thunderstorm to the ground. The most violent tornadoes are capable of tremendous destruction with wind speeds of up to 300 mph. They can destroy large buildings, uproot trees and hurl vehicles hundreds of yards. They can also drive straw into trees. Damage paths can be in excess of one mile wide to 50 miles long. In an average year, 1000 tornadoes are reported nationwide.

How do tornadoes form?

Most tornadoes form from thunderstorms. You need warm, moist air from the Gulf of Mexico and cool, dry air from Canada. When these two air masses meet, they create instability in the atmosphere. A change in wind direction and an increase in wind speed with increasing height creates an invisible, horizontal spinning effect in the lower atmosphere. Rising air within the updraft tilts the rotating air from horizontal to vertical. An area of rotation, 2-6 miles wide, now extends through much of the storm. Most strong and violent tornadoes form within this area of strong rotation.

Click Here to learn more about tornadoes from NOAA.

What are some other factors for tornadoes to form?
Several conditions are required for the development of tornadoes and the thunderstorm clouds with which most tornadoes are associated. Abundant low level moisture is necessary to contribute to the development of a thunderstorm, and a "trigger" (perhaps a cold front or other low level zone of converging winds) is needed to lift the moist air aloft. Once the air begins to rise and becomes saturated, it will continue rising to great heights to produce a thunderstorm cloud, if the atmosphere is unstable. An unstable atmosphere is one where the temperature decreases rapidly with height. Atmospheric instability can also occur when dry air overlays moist air near the earth's surface. Finally, tornadoes usually form in areas where winds at all levels of the atmosphere are not only strong, but also turn with height in a clockwise or veering direction.

What do tornadoes look like?
Tornadoes can appear as a traditional funnel shape, or in a slender rope-like form. Some have a churning, smoky look to them, and other contain "multiple vortices", which are small, individual tornadoes rotating around a common center. Even others may be nearly invisible, with only swirling dust or debris at ground levels as the only indication of the tornado's presence.

What is a funnel cloud? A funnel cloud is a rotating cone-shaped column of air extending downward from the base of a thunderstorm, but not touching the ground. When it reaches the ground it is called a tornado.

It is not fully understood about how exactly tornadoes form, grow and die. Tornado researchers are still trying to solve the tornado puzzle, but for every piece that seems to fit they often uncover new pieces that need to be studied. How do tornadoes stop?

A supercell thunderstorm is a long-lived thunderstorm whose updrafts and downdrafts are in near balance. These storms have the greatest tendency to produce tornadoes that stay on the ground for long periods of time. Supercell thunderstorms can produce violent tornadoes with winds exceeding 200 mph.
What is a supercell thunderstorm?

A mesocyclone is a rotating vortex of air within a supercell thunderstorm. Mesocyclones do not always produce tornadoes.
What is a mesocyclone?

A wall cloud is an abrupt lowering of a rain-free cumulonimbus base into a low-hanging accessory cloud. A wall cloud is usually situated in the southwest portion of the storm. A rotating wall cloud usually develops before tornadoes or funnel clouds. What is a microburst?
A microburst is a downdraft (sinking air) in a thunderstorm that is less than 2.5 miles in scale. Although microbursts are not as widely recognized as tornadoes, they can cause comparable, and in some cases, worse damage than some tornadoes produce. In fact, wind speeds as high as 150 mph are possible in extreme microburst cases.
What is a wall cloud?

A waterspout is just a weak tornado that forms over water. They are most common along the Gulf Coast. Waterspouts can sometimes move inland, becoming tornadoes causing damage and injuries.

What is a waterspout?

What is hail?
Hail is created when small water droplets are caught in the updraft of a thunderstorm. These water droplets are lifted higher and higher into the sky until they freeze into ice. Once they become heavy, they will start to fall. If the smaller hailstones get caught in the updraft again, they will get more water on them and get lifted higher in the sky and get bigger. Once they get lifted again, they freeze and fall. This happens over and over again until the hailstone is too heavy and then falls to the ground.

What is the largest hailstone recorded in the United States?
According to the National Weather Service, the largest hailstone is 8 inches in diameter and weights approximately 2 pounds. It fell in Vivian, South Dakota on July 23, 2010.
A gustnado is a short-lived, relatively weak whirlwind that forms along a gust front. A gust front is the surge of very gusty winds at the leading edge of a thunderstorm's outflow of air. Gustnadoes are not tornadoes. They do not connect with any cloud-base rotation. But because gustnadoes often have a spinning dust cloud at ground level, they are sometimes wrongly reported as tornadoes. Gustnadoes can do minor damage.

What is a gustnado?
A landspout is a very weak tornado that is not associated with a wall cloud or a mesocyclone. It is the land equivalent of a waterspout.

What is a landspout?
A dust devil generally forms in the hot sun during the late morning or early afternoon hours. These are mostly harmless whirlwinds and are triggered by light desert breezes that create a swirling plume of dust with speeds rarely over 70 mph. These differ from tornadoes in that they are not associated with a thunderstorm (or any cloud) and are usually very weak.

What is a dust devil? Tornadoes can happen at any time of the year and at any time of the day. In the southern states, peak tornado season is from March through May. Peak times for tornadoes in the northern states are during the summer. A few southern states have a second peak time for tornado outbreaks in the fall. Tornadoes are most likely to occur between 3 p.m. and 9 p.m.

The geography of the central part of the United States, known as the Great Plains, is suited to bring all of the ingredients together to forms tornadoes. More than 500 tornadoes typically occur in this area every year and is why it is commonly known as "Tornado Alley". Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota, Iowa, Missouri, Arkansas and Louisiana all make up Tornado Alley. When are tornadoes most likely to occur?

Where are tornadoes most likely to occur?

Know the Lingo

TORNADO WATCH - Tornadoes are possible in your area. Stay tuned to the radio or television news.
TORNADO WARNING - A tornado is either on the ground or has been detected by Doppler radar. Seek shelter immediately!

Click Here to see if there are any active warnings in your area.

Know the Facts
Tornadoes can occur at any time of the year. nd winds less than 110 mph.

No terrain is safe from tornadoes.

Never open windows in severe weather situations. This allows damaging wind and debris to enter the structure.

69% of all tornadoes are labeled "weak tornadoes" meaning they have a lifetime of 1-10+ minutes a

SCALE

WIND SPEED

POSSIBLE DAMAGE

Enhanced,
Operational
Fujita Scale

29% of all tornadoes are labeled "strong tornadoes" meaning they last 20 minutes or longer and winds reach 110-205 mph.
2% of all tornadoes are labeled "violent tornadoes" and can last over an hour.

Fujita Scale of Tornado Intensity

Tornado Safety Tips
BEFORE A TORNADO: Have a disaster plan. Make sure everyone knows where to go in case a tornado threatens. Make sure you know which county or parish you live in. Prepare a kit with emergency food for your home. Have enough food and water for at least 3 days.

AFTER A TORNADO: Stay indoors until it is safe to come out. Check for injured or trapped people, without putting yourself in danger. Watch out for downed power lines. Use a flashlight to inspect your home. Tornado Activities

Lesson Plan: Here are some great lesson plans on learning about tornado safety. Note: This is a PDF file, so you need to have Adobe Acrobat Reader. DURING A TORNADO: Go to a basement. If you do not have a basement, go to an interior room without windows on the lowest floor such as a bathroom or closet. If you can, get under a sturdy piece of furniture, like a table. If you live in a mobile home get out. They offer little protection against tornadoes. Get out of automobiles. Do not try to outrun a tornado in your car, leave it immediately. If you're outside, go to a ditch or low lying area and lie flat in it. Stay away from fallen power lines and stay out of damaged areas.
Tornado Experiment: Here is a great experiment that allows the kids to make a tornado in a bottle.
IF YOU'RE AT SCHOOL DURING A TORNADO: Every school should have a disaster plan and have frequent drills. Basements offer the best protection. Schools without basements should use interior rooms and hallways on the lowest floor away from windows. Crouch down on your knees and protect your head with your arms.
Tornado Experiment: Here is a great experiment that allows the kids to make a tornado in a jar.
Pressure Experiment: Here is an experiment that shows how pressure is created in our atmosphere by sucking an egg in a bottle. This is a very cool experiment!
Science Fair Project Ideas: Here is a complete list of science fair project ideas. Discover the science behind the weather that impacts us every day.

Make A Barometer Experiment: Here is an experiment that allows the kids to make a barometer.

Evaporation Experiment: Here is an experiment that shows kids how evaporation takes place.

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Weather Wiz Kids weather information for kids

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Weather Wiz Kids is a fun and safe website for kids about all the weather info they need to know. It contains tools for weather education, including weather games, activities, experiments, photos, a glossary and educational teaching materials for the classroom.

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Mystery Science: What's worse: Hurricane or a Tornado?

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Mystery Science: What's worse: Hurricane or a Tornado?

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Newsela: Which is Worse: Hurricane or Tornado?

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Newsela: Which is Worse: Hurricane or Tornado?

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Newsela Which is Worse- Hurricane or Tornado

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Have you ever imagined how storm or wind could be so destructive as to cause death, loss of that very beautiful tree or flower which protects you from the rays of the sun, loss of your home, your school and even that pet uncle Joe got you on your seventh birthday?

This is definitely not the usual wind or storm you see every day. This is the kind of wind which can separate you from all you have ever loved; it is a really unique kind of storm.

They are fierce, violent, and deadly and can leave you and your beautiful family homeless. They are known as hurricane and tornadoes.

When they occur, houses are pulled out of its foundation and slid from one point to another, roofs break off, buildings collapse, people are trapped under objects and cannot save themselves, cars become hidden underwater, trees are uprooted, cars tumble, animals are lost, windows and doors are broken, they are highly destructive and the aftermath is economic loss.

No one ever dreams of experiencing such a dangerous event in his/her lifetime, because there is absolutely nothing funny about these two.

One very interesting thing to know about these two natural destructive agents is that they can be forecasted even before they occur, this is done through technology, and you can be warned to move from a location where it is likely to occur to a safer location where it is less severe or serious.

So this leaves you with an option to run, hide and take cover away from its destroying effects since you cannot control its effect on the environment once it hits. Let us look at hurricane vs tornadoes comparison

Hurricanes and tornadoes share similar features in that they are both destructive winds that occur when the atmosphere becomes unstable, which is followed by rain, thunder and lightning which moves in a rotating form. Note that they also differ in size and formation.

Hurricanes Vs Tornado Comparison For Kids
Firstly, hurricanes are usually larger in size than tornadoes. Secondly, hurricanes occur over the ocean, while tornadoes usually occur over land. Thirdly, hurricanes cover a wide area of destruction while tornadoes, on the other hand, cover a narrow path of destruction. Fourthly, hurricanes can last up to three weeks while tornadoes can last for just an hour but trust me they can as well be as deadly as a hurricane which lasts even longer, and the damages it causes destroys nutrients in the soil and vegetation.
One may wonder, what could be the cause of these two deadly events which can go as far as lifting a very heavy large truck from its position, uprooting buildings from its foundation and destroying our favorite car? When and why does it ever occur? Can it be prevented?
Hurricanes which are also called typhoons occur when warm air is replaced by cooler air. At the center of a hurricane is an eye which usually has low air pressure it can become very tall and can reach up high into the sky. Tornadoes too are called twisters and has a shape like a tunnel, it is formed as a result of the presence of warm and moist conditions in the lower atmosphere and cold and dry conditions in the upper atmosphere, as a result, the cold air starts sinking and warm air starts rising when the number of warm increases, it becomes stronger and can clear anything that it comes across.
One lesson you must learn from this is that ensure you always watch the news to know when a hurricane or tornado is possibly going to occur, so u can be prepared, gather your toys and secure them so they don't get blown away, it is a monster and is not a friend to anyone, not even little children.
REFERENCE
Nelson, ken (2018). Earth science for kids: weather -hurricanes (tropical cyclones) Ducksters.

You may also want to read
Hurricane Meaning, Causes and Effect Hurricane Categories and Their Meaning

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Hurricane Vs Tornado - See the difference | Hurricane Facts

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Have you ever imagined how storm or wind could be so destructive as to cause death, loss of that very beautiful tree or flower which protects you from the rays of the sun, loss of your home, your school and even that pet uncle Joe got you on your seventh birthday?

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Tornado vs. Hurricane

Tornadoes and hurricanes are both destructive storms involving high winds. They differ mainly in size (with hurricanes being much larger) and location. Tornadoes occur mainly over land, whereas hurricanes begin over the ocean.

A tornado is a violent storm comprised of extremely strong winds spiraling around a central point in a funnel-shaped cloud. They move at 30-40 miles per hour with winds reaching over 300 miles per hour near the center. They are generally narrow in diameter compared with other storms, so their destruction is confined to a narrow path. Tornadoes often occur in groups. Tornado strength is measured on the Fujita scale.

A hurricane is an extremely large, destructive storm that is comprised of winds exceeding 74 miles per hour. They generally begin over water (especially the western Atlantic) and lose power once they move over land. They are usually accompanied by rain, thunder, and lightning. Their strength is measured from 1 to 5 on a scale called the Saffir-Simpson scale.

Both are destructive storms that rotate clockwise in the southern hemisphere and counter-clockwise in the northern hemisphere. Tornadoes occur on all continents except Antarctica whereas hurricanes occur only in the North Atlantic Ocean and Eastern Pacific Ocean. Tornadoes occur far more frequently (several thousand per year) than hurricanes (10-15 per year). Hurricanes can last several days, whereas tornadoes only last several minutes.

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Tornado vs. Hurricane Tornadoes and hurricanes are both destructive storms involving high winds. They differ mainly in size (with hurricanes being much larger) and location. Tornadoes occur mainly over land, whereas hurricanes begin over the ocean. A tornado is a violent storm comprised of extremely strong winds spiraling around a central point in a funnel-shaped cloud.