Search
Showing results for “Tornadoes”
Jump to a topic
TornadoesTornadoes are columns of rotating air that extend from the base of a storm cloud to the ground. Also known as twisters, this type of extreme weather can cause devastating structural damage by producing strong winds, sometimes in excess of 500 kilometers (311 miles) per hour. In 2024, they were responsible for approximately $1.7B in damage and 54 deaths in the US, which experiences the most tornadoes of any nation.
Current models suggest tornadoes form due to wind shear, where winds rapidly change speed and direction with height. Air caught in this wind shear can circulate horizontally, like a rolling pin, forming a tube of air. If it encounters a supercell—a thunderstorm with strong upward airflow—the tube can be tilted vertically and stretched, causing it to narrow and rotate faster. The resulting structure, which may appear as a funnel cloud when sufficient condensation is present, becomes a tornado once it makes contact with the ground.
Tornadoes are categorized on the Enhanced Fujita scale after damage is assessed across 28 types of structures (e.g., trees, homes). About 77% of tornadoes are considered "weak" on this scale (EF-0 or EF-1), despite producing gusts as strong as 177 kilometers (110 miles) per hour.Explore Tornadoes
What we've found
Scientists could soon use giant fire tornadoes to clean up our oceans | BBC Science Focus Magazine BBC Science Focus MagazineTornadoes can cause significant air pollution and diminish air qualityAsbestos, a hazardous material that can cause lung cancer, is commonly found in buildings constructed before 1980. Tornadoes that damage such buildings can release asbestos into the air, along with other toxic pollutants and dust as materials are lifted. Individuals, particularly those with asthma or other chronic lung diseases, are encouraged to wear masks after a tornado. American Lung AssociationTornadoes produce inaudible signals to humans hours before formingResearchers at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration have found that tornado-producing storms generate specific sounds below the range of human hearing, much like the infrasonic signals produced by earthquakes and avalanches. Although difficult to distinguish from wind noise, scientists hope to build systems that use these signals to improve tornado forecasting. IEEE SpectrumTornadoes, or twisters, have been seen on every continent but AntarcticaBecause tornadoes require rising warm air to form, some meteorologists have suggested that urban environments—locations where human landscape modification has introduced materials that trap thermal energy—can enhance the conditions needed for tornado formation. Tornadoes have been reported to cause ear "popping" due to drastic changes in air pressure. Smithsonian MagazineExplore the effects of tornadoes of different scalesIn this simulation, users can adjust the tornado's diameter and rotation speed to see its impact as it passes through a series of trees and a one-story home. NOAAWithin an 18-hour period in 1974, 13 states were hit by 148 tornadoesFrom April 3-4, a tornado outbreak killed over 300 people and caused $600M in damage ($3.8B in 2024 dollars). The event revealed deficiencies in various technologies, including crude radar imaging and slow typewriter-based communication systems, which quickly bottlenecked and became outdated as tornado watches became tornado warnings. HISTORY This WeekMost tornadoes occur during the afternoon and evening hoursWhile there is no official national tornado season as with Atlantic hurricanes, many tornadoes form in the presence of thunderstorms, which are fueled by solar heating and the energy released by the condensation of water vapor. The airflow instabilities created from this energy build throughout the day until the sun sets. NOAAUnlike hurricanes, tornadoes are not ranked based on measured wind speedTechnological limitations prevent direct measurements of wind speeds where tornadoes make contact with the ground. Instead, the Enhanced Fujita scale assigns a rating with a range of speeds based on how much damage a tornado caused to various types of structures. These types are more extensive than the original Fujita scale. NOAAVarious types of tornadoes are distinguished by their shape, size, and locationWaterspouts form over water as long, thin columns of mist and air, while elephant trunks are tornadoes that elongate vertically as they become tilted during their formation, resembling the mammal's appendage. Wedge tornadoes are among the most powerful, often spanning a mile or more in width. Though less common, tornadoes can form without the presence of thunderstormsSupercell tornadoes involve rising warm air—updrafts—from the strongest type of thunderstorm—supercells—to help turn horizontally rotating tunnels of air into vertical columns. In non-supercell tornadoes, which are generally weaker as a result of forming within less energetic systems, vertical rotation is present from the start near ground level. National GeographicThe risk of tornadoes and storm surges is greatest on the 'dirty side' of a hurricaneWinds in the right-front quadrant of the storm are amplified by the hurricane's motion and its rotation, which both move air in the same direction. Upon making landfall, these winds pull water from the Gulf and Atlantic onto land, creating storm surges. Tornadoes can also be generated from large differences in wind speed and direction at various heights. VoxVisualizing the year in US tornadoes, 2024Between January and November 2024, over 1,700 tornadoes were documented to have touched down in the US, a relatively high number (and similar to the numbers in 2004, 2008, and 2011). This map shows their location across the country to help capture the number. FlowingDataView the ten deadliest tornadoes in US historyThe Tri-State Tornado touched down in Shannon County, Missouri, on March 18, 1925, and killed 695 people as it traveled through Illinois and Indiana, making it the deadliest tornado in US history. The deadliest 21st-century tornado was in Joplin, Missouri, on May 22, 2011, killing 158 people and injuring over 1,000. NOAAWhat do we understand about tornadoes and how they form?Basic information about tornadoes, from the NOAA National Severe Storms Laboratory. National Oceanic and Atmospheric AdministrationAn explanation distinguishing the butterfly effect from causality, necessity, and sufficiencyIn pop culture, the analogy has conveyed the impression that the flapping of a butterfly's wings has a cascading effect that directly produces a tornado somewhere else on Earth. However, butterfly-wing flapping alone is insufficient to cause tornadoes, as the complexity of atmospheric systems requires many more conditions to produce them, any of which can be the tipping point to initiate tornadogenesis. minutephysicsThe life of Edward Lorenz, who originally used a seagull in his 'butterfly effect' metaphorBy accidentally finding that rounding one variable to its third decimal place and re-running a weather simulation produced a drastically different two-month forecast, the American mathematician established the field of chaos theory. His paper—"Predictability: Does the Flap of a Butterfly's Wings in Brazil Set off a Tornado in Texas?"—introduced the well-known metaphor for the behavior of chaotic systems. (Some readers may experience a paywall.) MIT Technology ReviewTornado formation relies on wind shear to create a tube of rotating airOnce a horizontal vortex is created by air circulating between winds of different directions and speeds, an updraft, such as those seen in powerful thunderstorms, tilts the vortex vertically. The updraft then strengthens the vortex, which becomes a tornado upon touching the ground. eLearning OntarioWatch the birth of a tornado in real timeWhile driving through suburban Oklahoma in May 2013, National Geographic explorer and storm researcher Tim Samaras witnessed the formation of a tornado from a thunderstorm and captured footage of the descending funnel cloud before it touched down. National GeographicA teenager survived being flung a world-record 1,307 feet by a tornadoOn March 12, 2006, 19-year-old Matt Suter was lifted into a tornado while inside a mobile home in Fordland, Missouri. Despite traveling 1,307 feet, his only significant injury was a head wound caused by being hit by a lamp prior to being transported. Guinness World RecordsThe first known instance of a fire tornado occurred in 2003During pyro-tornadogenesis, many processes that create thunderstorms from wildfires, such as rising hot air and steam from evaporated water in forests, fuel the formation of a fire tornado. The increasing rates of wildfires due to climate change are expected to make this phenomenon and other extreme weather more common. Smithsonian MagazineIn Doppler radar imaging, a 'hook echo' helps identify a tornado-producing thunderstormTypically found in the right-rear part of a storm relative to its motion, the "hook" is the hallmark of a mesocyclone—a large, rotating updraft of air—within supercells, the most powerful thunderstorms. While tornadoes are known to develop within mesocyclones, they can also be detected by storm spotters trained to recognize tornado conditions in their communities. NOAAIn a tornado outbreak, a single severe weather system can spawn multiple twistersBy maintaining the ingredients for tornadoes—differences in wind speed and direction across altitudes, moisture, and rising air—for long periods of time as it moves across a region, a severe thunderstorm can continuously produce tornadoes by lifting multiple columns of horizontally rotating air. FOX WeatherTornado chasers include scientists conducting field projectsResearch teams use drones, mobile weather stations, and radar systems to capture real-time meteorological data, better understand conditions that favor tornado formation, and improve forecasting models. As of 2022, model limitations result in roughly 70% of tornado warnings being false alarms. SBS DatelineFast-changing conditions during their formation make tornado forecasting difficultThe final steps of tornadogenesis—the process of forming a tornado—depend on near-surface details, such as local geography, which are difficult for radar to observe and affect how funnel clouds make contact with the ground. Inconsistencies in storm behavior have limited the amount of advance warning people receive before tornadoes touch down. UnexplainableTornado myths include suggestions to hide beneath a bridge or to open windowsWinds can accelerate due to a tunneling effect as they pass under a structure, making seeking shelter from a tornado in a mobile home or recreational vehicle highly discouraged. Significant tornado damage results from debris being picked up and hurled by strong winds, making it unsafe to be near windows that may shatter. The Weather ChannelExplore tips from the American Red Cross on preparing for a tornadoIf you live in a region prone to tornadoes, have a plan to retreat to a safe room built to withstand strong winds, such as an underground shelter or a windowless room at the lowest level of a study building, in case of a tornado warning. Having a stay-at-home kit with non-perishable food and water, medications, batteries and chargers, and a battery-powered radio is also essential. American Red CrossThe National Weather Service communicates tornado risks on a three-tier systemDuring a tornado watch, atmospheric conditions favor the development of a tornado, and residents in an area should be prepared to seek refuge. A tornado warning is issued if a tornado has been detected, while a tornado emergency indicates a violent tornado has touched down in the area, with severe threats to human life and property expected. NOAAStretching from Texas to the Dakotas, Tornado Alley is a US tornado hotspotThe region experiences atmospheric instability and extensive wind shear due to the convergence of warm, moist air from the Gulf with cooler, drier air from the Rockies. However, some recent data suggests tornadoes are more frequent and more powerful in the Dixie Valley, which includes much of the lower Mississippi Valley. Stuff You Should KnowSmall wooden tail fins modified torpedoes to operate in the harbor's shallow waterJapan's existing Type 91 torpedoes weighed two tons and slammed into the water at 200 mph, diving 150 feet before rising again. Pearl Harbor was only 40 feet deep, requiring engineers to modify the existing torpedoes for the attack. Pearl Harbor Aviation MuseumHumans have used bioluminescence as a means of military advantageDuring World War I, the British Navy sank a German U-boat after spotting the blue light forming at the sides and in the wake of the boat. Jellyfish slime was applied to a Roman walking stick for nighttime guidance, while bioluminescent fungi in Indonesia fulfilled the same purpose. Hakai MagazineThe hand-dug 'Big Well' of Greensburg, KansasGreensburg, Kansas, built a 109-feet deep well between 1887 and 1888 and touted it as the world's largest. Men working for 50 cents a day dug the pit with pickaxes and shovels, and its walls were lined with local stone. It was a primary water supply until 1932, and has become a museum and a tourist attraction, one of Kansas' "Eight Wonders." Atlas Obscura
Try another search?