Here's why tornadoes form, how to stay safe if you’re near one and whether climate change is affecting tornado patterns.
A powerful tornado churns near Tescott, Kan. By Paul Markowski and Yvette Richardson April 5 Editor’s note: Tornado season in North America typically starts in the Southeast in March and April, then moves north and west into the Plains states in May and June. Recently, on March 3, 2019, an outbreak killed at least 23 people in Alabama and Georgia.
The second key condition for supercell formation is wind shear – large changes in wind at different levels. Winds at different altitudes blowing at different speeds and/or from different directions is associated with horizontally spinning air, like a rolling pin. As this horizontally spinning air flows into the updraft, the spin is tilted into the vertical, creating a rotating updraft.
Within and beneath the storm, warm air is rising and cooler air is descending. As air descends and flows through the cold pool, the horizontal differences in temperature and acceleration of air along the ground combine to produce more horizontal spin. If there is strong upward suction from the overlying rotating updraft of the supercell storm, and the air in the cold pool is not too cold, the horizontally spinning air can be tipped toward the vertical and sucked upward.
We don’t understand tornado maintenance well, or how tornadoes might be affected by interactions with obstacles such as terrain and buildings. This means that when a tornado is occurring, forecasters have limited ability to tell the public how long they expect it to last.Basements, storm cellars or “safe rooms” that meet federal guidelines provide excellent protection.
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