Tornado, Page 1

  
     
 

tornado

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About

  
 

A tornado is perhaps nature's most violent storm. A tornado is spawned from powerful thunderstorms.  Tornados can cause fatalities and devastate a neighborhood in seconds.  It appears as a rotating, funnel-shaped cloud that extends from a thunderstorm to the ground with whirling winds that can reach 300 miles per hour. The damage paths can cover from one mile wide and 50 miles long.

Sometimes before a tornado hits, the wind may die down and the air may become very still.  A cloud of debris can mark the location of a tornado even if a funnel is not visible. A cloud of debris can mark the location of a tornado even if a funnel is not visible.  Tornadoes generally occur near the trailing edge of a thunderstorm. 

Tornados have the following characteristics:
 

  
 

  • They may strike quickly with little or no warning.
     

  • You may not be able to see one until dust and debris are picked up or a cloud forms in the funnel.
     

  • The average forward speed of a tornado is 30 MPH, but may vary from stationary to 70 MPH.
     

  • Tornados can accompany tropical storms and hurricanes as they move onto land.
     

  • Waterspouts are tornadoes that form over water.
     

  • Tornadoes are most frequently reported east of the Rocky Mountains during spring and summer months.
     

  • Tornadoes are most likely to occur between 3 p.m. and 9 p.m., but can occur at any time.

 

  

Before
  If you live in an area that spawns tornadoes, make sure that you are aware of changing weather conditions. You should look for the following:  
     
 

  1. Listen to the radio or watch TV to learn about changing conditions.
     

  2. Look for approaching storms.
     

  3. Be aware of the following: dark and often greenish sky, hail, a rotating large low-lying cloud, and a load roar that sounds like a freight train.
     

  4. Take shelter immediately.

  
     
 

During

  
 

  1. If you are in a residence, go to a pre-designated shelter such as a safe room, basement, storm cellar, and lowest building area. If there is no basement, go to the center of an interior room on the lowest level such as a closet that is not near corners, windows, doors, or outside walls.  Go to another room so you can put as many walls between you and the outside.

    Then, get under a table and place your arms over your head and neck.
     

  2. If you find yourself in a vehicle, trailer, or mobile home, leave at once. Go to the lowest floor of a sturdy, nearby building or a storm shelter.  Mobile homes, even if tied down, offer little protection from tornadoes.

  
 
 
 
 
 

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