Tornadoes are most often spawned by giant thunderstorms known as "supercells." These powerful, highly organized storms form when warm, moist air along.

Tornadoes are most often spawned by giant thunderstorms known as "supercells." These powerful, highly organized storms form

when warm, moist air along the ground rushes upward, meeting cooler, drier air. As the rising warm air cools, the moisture it

carries condenses, forming a massive thundercloud, sometimes growing to as much as 50,000 ft. in height. Variable winds at

different levels of the atmosphere feed the updraft and cause the formation of the tornado's characteristic funnel shape.

•When different temperatures and humidity form to make thunderclouds

•Warm, wet winds from the Gulf of Mexico move northward during spring and summer this then causes a meeting of colder, dryer Canadian winds which are moving southward.

•Dry line.

•Gulf of Mexico at a height of over 10,000 feet.

•When the updraft is strong, the column can rise to heights of 10 miles or more, twisting at speeds of up to 100 miles an hour. The rotating winds produce strong storm clouds about 70,000 feet high, sometimes spreading 10 miles wide.

•Supercells.

•Mesocyclones.

CASE STUDY: United States

There are myths around where tornadoes occur such as around rivers, lakes and mountains, these areas are actually safe from tornadoes.

However everywhere is at risk from tornado attacks.

There are certain characteristics which give “clues” about where tornadoes happen.

Dark often greenish sky

Rotating wall cloud

Large hail

Loud roar (similar to a train)

Tornadoes commonly occur in a preferred direction of south-west to north-east at speeds of 30-40 mph

Example:

One tornado occurred in the Wyoming mountains at an elevation in excess of 10,000 feet!

FUJITA TORNADO SCALE

Category Sustained Winds Damage

F-0 40-72mphChimney damage, tree branches broken

F-1 73-112mphMobile homes pushed off their foundations or overturned

F-2 113-157mphConsiderable damage. Mobile homes demolished. Trees uprooted

F-3 158-205mphRoofs and walls torn down. Trains overturned. Cars thrown.

F-4 207-260mph Well constructed walls levelled

F-5 261-318mphHomes lifted off foundations and carried considerable distances. Autos thrown as far as 100 meters.

Tornado Alley in America

Social Economic EnvironmentalAt least 38 people killed:•14 people in Missouri•11 people in Tennessee•7 people in Kansas

Businesses were damaged Trees uprooted

Houses blown apart Infrastructure was blocked by debris

Animals loss of habitat

Power lines uprooted Businesses were closed Possible pollution from burst pipes

Destruction trail of 400m wide

Communication was lost due to bent pylons

Fires from burst gas pipes

Barely a home/business was left untouched

Emergency services were under pressure

Services were erected

Hot meals were provided

Social Economic Environmental40 people killed Farm business were ruined

from cattle being destroyedTrees destroyed in the path of the tornado

1,000 injured Infrastructure is damaged from debris on the road therefore trade cannot occur

Pollution caused by raging fires from buildings

12 villages in the districts of Netrokona and Mymensingh were hit and destroyed

Massive debt from damage caused by the tornado

Thousands left homeless, from houses being blown away

More medicines have been requested from Dhaka as well as relief materials

Aid is being imported in the form of cash, rice and corrugated tin for shelter. Also clothes are being imported

Hospitals are full, they have a stream of patients who are injured, and it cannot cope

Tornadoes are very stressful events which can destroy the lives of many people in a matter of seconds. Many people have different coping strategies such as:

Moving Away from the problem area

Constructing shelter to withstand the forces of a tornado

Do nothing!- they believe it is an act of god!

Board up windows

Moving away only during tornado season

Many people cope with tornadoes in different ways. Some countries do not have the equipment to successfully predict these tornadoes and therefore the death rate and the secondary effects may be much larger than a country where they can successfully prepare.

It is said that advance planning and a quick response is the key to surviving a tornado, however many LEDC’s do not have this equipment

What to Do…….

If you are at Home:

If you are at Work:

If you are in a Car:

Although tornadoes can never be stopped, management processes help aid the strain and stress and also damage that tornadoes can cause. By having initiatives in place and government grants to help when tornadoes occur, the re-building of businesses, houses and schools can be done quickly and efficiently causing the least amount of disturbance and upset to the people effected

There are ways to predict tornadoes, and tornado chasers help aid this. A group called “project VORTEX”are tornado chasers. They have the specialist equipment to constantly monitor the weather, for example the Weather Doppler Radar System