Tornado- a fast spinning column of air that
5. 5. Dust Devils - They are swirls that go up
and fizzle out in the clean air, and they are
stretches all the way from a thunderstorm cloud
not connected to the clouds while spinning.
in the sky down to the Earth’s surface.
How do Tornadoes Form?
 Tornadoes begin when the sun heats up the surface of
the land. As the warm, less heavy air begins to rise, it
meets the colder, heavier air above it. The faster
moving air begins to spin and roll over the slower
wind. As it rolls on, it gathers pace and grow in
size. At this stage, it is an invisible, horizontal wind
spinning and rolling like a cylinder. As the winds
continue to build up, stronger and more powerful
warm air forces the spinning winds vertically upward,
causing an updraft. With more warm air rising, the
spinning air encounters more updraft. The winds spin
faster, vertically upwards, and gains more
momentum. The spinning winds, creates a vortex and
the wind has enough energy to fuel itself. The tornado
is fully formed now.
Characteristics Of Tornado
1. Tornadoes come in many shapes & sizes. Typically
in the form of funnel shape.
2. A tornado may appear nearly transparent until
dust and debris are picked up or a cloud
forms within the funnel.
3. Tornadoes are most likely to occur between 3 pm
and 9 pm, but can occur at any time.
How do Tornadoes Rotate?
 Most tornadoes in the
northern hemisphere rotate cyclonically,or
counter-clockwise. Only around five
percent of tornadoes in the northern
hemisphere rotate clockwise, or anti-
cyclonically. In the southern hemisphere,
however, most tornadoes rotate clockwise.
Where do tornadoes occur?
 Tornadoes can occur almost anywhere in the
world, but the United States is the country with
the highest frequency of tornadoes.
 Tornadoes strike predominantly along Tornado
Alley — a flat stretch of land from western
Texas to North Dakota.
 Texas, Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Iowa
and southern Minnesota are particularly
prone to tornadoes.
TYPES OF TORNADOES
1. Multiple Vortex Tornadoes- has two or more
funnels of clouds (vortex) rotating around a
common centre.
2. Waterspout- a column of spinning wind that
forms downward from a cumulus cloud down to
any body of water.
3. LAND SPOUT -are characterized by a rotating
column of air contacting both the ground and a
cumuliform cloud.
4. Fire whirls – “fire tornado”
- Made up of flame or ashes
Tornado Fore Casting
 A tornado’s size, strength, direction,
and duration cannot be predicted.
 Size and strength of a tornado is not
determined until after damage has
occurred.
Doppler Radar- instrument use to
detect wind strength inside a
thunderstorm.
• The Fujita-Pearson scale or also
known as the F scale, is used to
measure the intensity of a tornado
based on the amount of damage done
by a passing tornado over an area.
• The scale was introduced in 1971 and
is named for Ted Fujita who was a
professor at the University of Chicago.
• The deadliest
tornado in world history ever
recorded till date was the Daulatpur–
Saturia tornado in Bangladesh on
April 26, 1989, which killed
approximately 1,300 people.
• The most record-breaking tornado in
history was the Tri-state Tornado,
which swept three states (parts
of Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana) on
March 18, 1925. It holds records for
longest path length (219 miles,
352 km), longest duration (about
3.5 hours), and fastest forward speed
for a significant tornado (73 mph,
117 km/h).
How To Survive a Tornado
1. Move immediately to an
underground shelter whenever
possible.
2. Stay away from windows, and cover
yourself with a mattress, cushions, or
sleeping bags.
3. If possible, get under a heavy table,
which can protect you from falling
debris.
4. Find a low spot relative to your
current position if caught totally in the
open.
5. Stay away from overpasses,
bridges, or areas with potential for lots
of debris.
6. Put together a tornado emergency
kit and stash it in your safe room
Prepared by:
Sagales, Marisol T.
BEED-3rd Year