Accuweather: How Tornadoes Form Vid. Pitara Kids Network -Discover Tornados. Pitara Kids Home > Discover > Earth facts for kids Compiled by Bindu Misra; Illustrations by Amarjeet Malik Popularly known as twisters, tornado is derived from Spanish word ‘Tronada’ meaning thunderstorm and ‘Tornar’ meaning to turn. A tornado is defined as a violently rotating column of air that can spin faster than 300 m.p.h., extending from a thunderstorm to the ground. They are generally observed as tube-or funnel-shaped clouds. At ground level they usually leave a path of destruction about 50 m wide and travel an average of about 8 to 24 km. Tornadoes generally exhibit a certain characteristic cycle of behaviour between formation and final disappearance.
Tornadoes occasionally accompany tropical storms and hurricanes that move over land. An area of rotation, 2-6 miles wide, now extends through much of the storm. Tornadoes take many shapes and sizes. It is commonly believed that areas near rivers, lakes and mountains are safe from tornadoes. Trivia about tornadoes. Science Kids -Tornado Damage Pictures. Sky Diary KIDSTORM -facts about tornadoes. A tornado isn't likely to take you to Munchkinland, as it did in "The Wizard of Oz," but a strong one can destroy buildings and create a damage path more than a mile wide.
Its wind speeds can top 300 miles per hour. Tornadoes occur just about everywhere in the world, from India to Australia, and all over the United States, but the most famous and active breeding ground for tornadoes is Tornado Alley. It extends from Texas up through Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska to the Dakotas. Warm, moist air from the Gulf of Mexico clashes with cold air from the north and fuels storms that form there. Tornadoes can form any time of year, but many occur in the stormy spring, when these warm and cold air masses collide.
We don't know all the reasons a tornado forms, but scientists have a general idea of the weather ingredients that need to come together. Tornadoes can form out of many kinds of storms, but the type most likely to produce tornadoes is the supercell. Online. Tornado Project Online. Weather Wiz Kids -What is a Tornado? 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. How do tornadoes form? What are some other factors for tornadoes to form?
What is a funnel cloud? How do tornadoes stop? What is a microburst? What is a waterspout? What is hail? What is the largest hailstone recorded in the United States? What is a gustnado? What is a landspout? Where are tornadoes most likely to occur? Know the Lingo TORNADO WATCH - Tornadoes are possible in your area. TORNADO WARNING - A tornado is either on the ground or has been detected by Doppler radar. Click Here to see if there are any active warnings in your area. Know the Facts Fujita Scale of Tornado Intensity. Wikipedia: Tornado. A tornado is a violently rotating column of air that is in contact with both the surface of the earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. They are often referred to as twisters or cyclones,[1] although the word cyclone is used in meteorology, in a wider sense, to name any closed low pressure circulation. Tornadoes come in many shapes and sizes, but they are typically in the form of a visible condensation funnel, whose narrow end touches the earth and is often encircled by a cloud of debris and dust.
Most tornadoes have wind speeds less than 110 miles per hour (177 km/h), are about 250 feet (76 m) across, and travel a few miles (several kilometers) before dissipating. The most extreme tornadoes can attain wind speeds of more than 300 miles per hour (483 km/h), stretch more than two miles (3.2 km) across, and stay on the ground for dozens of miles (more than 100 km).[2][3][4] Tornadoes have been observed on every continent except Antarctica. Etymology. WI Emg Mgt -Tornado Safety.
Illinois Tornadoes. National Geographic Tornado Info. National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration. Pics. Weather Channel Kids.