Docsity
Docsity

Prepare for your exams
Prepare for your exams

Study with the several resources on Docsity


Earn points to download
Earn points to download

Earn points by helping other students or get them with a premium plan


Guidelines and tips
Guidelines and tips

Formation of Tornadoes: Conditions and Damage Caused, Summaries of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences

The process of tornado formation, starting with the necessary conditions of intense heat and the meeting of warm, moist air with cold dry air. The text details the rapid upward movement of air, rotation, and the varying size and duration of tornadoes. The Fujita damage scale is introduced to estimate tornado wind speeds and the resulting damage.

What you will learn

  • What conditions are necessary for a tornado to form?
  • How does the meeting of warm and cold air lead to a tornado?
  • What is the Fujita damage scale and how is it used to estimate tornado wind speeds?

Typology: Summaries

2021/2022

Uploaded on 09/12/2022

brittani
brittani 🇺🇸

4.7

(30)

287 documents

1 / 5

Toggle sidebar

This page cannot be seen from the preview

Don't miss anything!

bg1
1
How a tornado is formed
Although no two tornadoes are the same, they need certain
conditions to form - particularly intense or unseasonable heat.
A storm quickly develops - there may be rain, thunder
and lightning.
Tornadoes are among the most violent storms on Earth,
with the potential to cause very serious damage.
As the ground temperature increases, moist air heats and
starts to rise.
pf3
pf4
pf5

Partial preview of the text

Download Formation of Tornadoes: Conditions and Damage Caused and more Summaries Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences in PDF only on Docsity!

Although no two tornadoes are the same, they need certain conditions to form - particularly intense or unseasonable heat.

A storm quickly develops - there may be rain, thunder and lightning.

Tornadoes are among the most violent storms on Earth, with the potential to cause very serious damage.

As the ground temperature increases, moist air heats and starts to rise.

When the warm, moist air meets cold dry air, it explodes upwards, puncturing the layer above. A thunder cloud may begin to build.

A storm quickly develops - there may be rain, thunder and lightning.

The vortex of winds varies in size and shape, and can be hundreds of metres wide. A tornado can last from several seconds to more than an hour and may travel dozens of miles.

Winds within the tornado may be so fast they cannot be properly measured. Instead, the Fujita damage scale is used to estimate speed.

F0 (0-73mph) - Light damage: Some damage to chimneys. Branches broken from trees and some trees blown over.

F1 (73-112mph) - Moderate damage: Moving cars blown off roads, mobile homes overturned, or pushed off their foundations.

F2 (113-157mph) - Considerable damage: Mobile homes demolished, large trees snapped or uprooted, cars lifted off the ground.

F3 (158-206mph) - Severe damage: Trains overturned, most trees uprooted, heavy cars thrown, walls of homes destroyed.

F4 (207-260mph) - Devastating damage: Well constructed buildings destroyed, large objects thrown.

F5 (261-318mph) - Incredible damage: Cars thrown more than 100 metres, strong buildings swept away.