Tornado
hideA tornado is a violent, dangerous, rotating column of air which is in contact with both the surface of the earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. Tornadoes come in many sizes but are typically in the form of a visible condensation funnel, whose narrow end touches the earth and is often encircled by a cloud of debris and dust.
Most tornadoes have wind speeds between 40 mph (64 km/h) and 110 mph (177 km/h), are approximately 250 feet (75 m) across, and travel a few miles (several kilometers) before dissipating. Some attain wind speeds of more than 300 mph (480 km/h), stretch more than a mile (1.6 km) across, and stay on the ground for dozens of miles (more than 100 km).
Although tornadoes have been observed on every continent except Antarctica, most occur in the United States. They also commonly occur in southern Canada, south-central and eastern Asia, east-central South America, Southern Africa, northwestern and southeast Europe, western and southeastern Australia, and New Zealand.
For more information about Tornado, read the full article at
Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.
News tagged with tornadoes
'Inverse Energy Cascade' May Energize Jupiter's Jet Streams
Space & Earth / Space Exploration
Oct 06, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Jupiter's intense and persistent jet streams could be triggered by small-scale energy events, a planetary sciences graduate student reports.
Research suggests urban sprawl, wet falls and winter affect severe weather
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Sep 08, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Previously rare big city storms - like a tornado Aug. 19 that downed trees and ripped off roofs in downtown Minneapolis and the powerful thunderstorms in New York City a day earlier - may ...
Tornado threat increases as Gulf hurricanes get larger (w/ Video)
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Sep 08, 2009 |
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Tornadoes that occur from hurricanes moving inland from the Gulf Coast are increasing in frequency, according to researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology. This increase seems to reflect the increase ...
Sophisticated weather satellite rockets into orbit
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Jun 28, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- The latest Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite, GOES-O, soared into space today after a successful launch from Space Launch Complex 37 at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station ...
Dry autumns and winters may lead to fewer tornadoes in the spring
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Jun 24, 2009 |
2.8 / 5 (6) |
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Global warming will likely mean more unpredictable weather, scientists say, and a new study by researchers at the University of Georgia pins down, possibly for the first time, how drought conditions in an ...
A new twist on tornado study
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
May 12, 2009 |
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Funny thing about tornadoes. When they ought to drop out of the sky, they usually don't. Despite all the radar looking for them, no one quite knows when or where they'll appear.
World's Largest Tornado Experiment Heads for Great Plains (w/Videos)
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
May 05, 2009 |
4.8 / 5 (5) |
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The largest and most ambitious tornado study in history will begin next week, as dozens of scientists deploy radars and other ground-based instruments across the Great Plains to gain a better understanding ...
Seismic recordings of rockfall a step toward early-warning system in Yosemite
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
May 04, 2009 |
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Hardly anyone noticed the ruckus when Yosemite Valley's largest rockfall in two decades thundered down near Half Dome before sunrise one March morning -- but scientists will hear all about it soon.
THEMIS satellite tracks electrical tornadoes in space
Space & Earth / Space Exploration
Apr 23, 2009 |
4.5 / 5 (4) |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Earth-bound tornadoes are puny compared to "space tornadoes," which span a volume as large as Earth and produce electrical currents exceeding 100,000 amperes, according to new observations ...
Largest Attempt in History to Understand Tornadoes Slated to Begin
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Apr 07, 2009 |
4.3 / 5 (4) |
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An ambitious project to explore the origin, structure and evolution of tornadoes will take place from May 10-June 13, 2009, across the central United States.
New control of nanoscale 'magnetic tornadoes' holds promise for data storage
Feb 02, 2009 |
4 / 5 (3) |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- At the human scale, the tightly wrapped spinning columns of air in a tornado contain terrifying destructive power that ravages communities. At the nanoscale, however, closely coiled magnetic ...
Nighttime tornadoes are worst nightmare
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Nov 05, 2008 |
4.3 / 5 (10) |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- A new study by Northern Illinois University scientists underscores the danger of nighttime tornadoes and suggests that warning systems that have led to overall declines in tornado death rates ...
