TORNADOES
Tornadoes happen just about everywhere on the Earth, the most frequent tornadoes are in England, where they are known as whirl-winds. They rarely do more damage than annoy, and are said to be the manufacturer of crop circles. Only on a few occasions over the years have they done little more damage than blow over a hay-stack or flatten a small crops. However, in the U.S. it is a different story, here they have the most destructive tornadoes of all. They grow in an area from Texas to Kansas, and their playground is know as Tornado Alley.
Tornadoes are the offspring of many different weather conditions, but here in tornado alley we can blame the Rocky Mountains to the west and the Gulf of Mexico to the east. Cold air comes off the Rocky's and meets warm air from the Gulf. The cold air has a higher altitude and lays across the warm air.
F3 damage example
kings-heath-tornado
Intense tornado activity in the United States. The...We all know that warm air rises and to explain the effect, what happens when you empty your sink? Just like water going down a plug, the cold air comes down while warm air forces itself up, creating a spiraling vortex, with immense power and destructive capabilities.
Map of twisters across the United States, blue indicates an F-2 or higher
This year Tornado Alley had a record breaking start to May, from May 4 to May 10, close to 300 tornadoes touched down in 19 states, causing 42 deaths.
The word Tornado comes from the Spanish word Tronada, meaning thunderstorm. They rotate at very high speeds around a low-pressure center. A tornado can be as little as 100 feet to as much as 1.5 miles wide. When the funnel touches the ground, it may move in a straight line or many loops. It may...