Tornadoes By Jordon and Hans

What is a Tornado? A tornado is a violent whirlwind that destroys many objects in its path. It looks like a giant funnel cloud extending from a storm cloud. Sometimes tornadoes can throw cars hundreds of meters. Tornadoes can have wind speeds up to around 300 MPH.

How a Tornado Forms. Most tornadoes come from thunderstorms. When you’re in North America you need warm, moist air from the Gulf of Mexico and cold, dry air from Canada. When these two air masses meet, they get instable in the atmosphere. Changes in the wind direction and an increase in the speed of wind creates an invisible horizontal swirling effect.

Where Tornadoes mostly happen in the middle states. Where it is mostly flat.

When Tornadoes Happen Tornadoes can happen at any time of the day and any time of the year. In the Northern States tornado peak times are in the summer. In the Southern States tornado peak times are in March to May. Tornadoes can happen between 3 P.M. to 9 P.M.

Safety Tips Before a tornado make sure that your family knows where to go just in case a tornado forms. Prepare a disaster supply kit for your car and home.

Safety Tip Part 2 During a tornado go to a basement. If you don’t have a basement go to the interior room with no windows. Get under a sturdy piece of furniture if you can.

Safety Tip Part 3 If you live in a home that is mobile get out and lie down in a ditch. Mobile homes don’t give enough protection.

Video Link demand.asp?video= demand.asp?video= Go to this link to find more about tornadoes.

The Fujita Scale SCALE WIND SPEED POSSIBLE DAMAGE Enhanced, Operationa l Fujita Scale F mph Light damage: Branches broken off trees; minor roof damage EFO mph F mph Moderate damage: Trees snapped; mobile home pushed off foundations; roofs damaged EF mph F mph Considerable damage: Mobile homes demolished; trees uprooted; strong built homes unroofed EF mph F mph Severe damage: Trains overturned; cars lifted off the ground; strong built homes have outside walls blown away EF mph F mph Devastating damage: Houses leveled leaving piles of debris; cars thrown 300 yards or more in the air EF mph F mph Incredible damage: Strongly built homes completely blown away; automobile-sized missiles generated EF5 over 200 mph This scale measures wind speed and how big the tornado is and how much damage it does.

Q1 What does the Fujita Scale do?

A1 It measures wind speed and how big it is and how much damage it does.

Q2 Where do tornadoes form mainly?

A2 They form mainly in Tornado Alley where it’s flat.

Q3 What months do tornadoes mostly form in the southern states?

A3 They mostly form from March to May.

Reflections This is Jordon and Hans. We would like to learn more about how tornadoes look in action. ( Do you know why? Because We haven’t seen one in real life.)