Tornadoes

Imagine laying down in a grassy plain.  You look up to watch the sky. It's really dark, considering what time of day it is (pretend it's noon). You see the blue of lightning strike against the grey background, the roar of the thunder following.  It begins to hail, golf-ball sized chunks of ice (if you get hit in the head with them, they hurt... believe me, I know). The wind picks up speed, and the sky darkens. All the signs point to a tornado coming.

                          What is a Tornado?

                   A violent, funnel-shaped storm, whose width is about a mile long, that touches the ground. The funnel is an extension from a         cumulonimbus cloud. Jeez, it can even go up to 300 miles per hour.

               Where Do Tornadoes Most Often Occur?

    They happen everywhere (not always called "tornadoes")  but most of the time they happen in a place called "Tornado Alley". Those states are:   Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Southern Nebraska, Iowa, and South Dakota.

                How Does A Tornado Form?

     First, cool air and warm air must make contact. The cool air comes from and the north the warm air  comes from the south.

A change in wind direction and an increase in wind speed with increasing height causes a horizontal spinning in the lower atmosphere.

http://www.weatherwizkids.com/tornado.htm

   A wind that is rising within the spinning tunnel causes the tunnel to tilt into a upwards position.

A rotating area of about two to six miles wide occurs. The strongest and most dangerous tornadoes form in this area of rotation.

Check out this website to see some cool tornado videos:

http://ultimatechase.com/Tornado_Video.htm

         What are the Different Names for a Tornado?

Drawn & Colored By: Haley Nickell

 Waterspouts- tornadoes that form on water. They can, however, continue onto land and cause a lot of damage. But they aren't as strong as land tornadoes. They are very frequent on tropical oceans.

       Dust Devils- Also known as whirlwinds.  They can be anywhere from 1000 meters high, 10 meters in diameter. 

    Landspouts-  like tornadoes but are weaker. They are waterspouts on land.

           Check out this video on waterspouts to get the full picture. http://ultimatechase.com/Waterspout_Video.htm