Lecture 10- Toranodes Flashcards
What si the average duration of a tornado?
15 minutes
How does a tornado form?
When a cold and warm front meet, their relative motion to one another causes a vortex of localised rotating air. This creates overturning and strong updrafts, and once lifted VERTICALLY forms a tornado
What s required for tornado formation?
A mesocyclone
What is a mesocyclone?
A strong rotating updraft that pushes air into the stratosphere
What scale is used to measure tornado?
The Enhanced Fujita scale
What percentage of annual earthquakes are classed as EF4 and EF5?
Only 2%
What is a waterspout?
A tornado over water
Give information on the tri state tornado ( duration, deaths,path,destruction)
- 3.5 hours long
- killed 700 people
- destroyed 15000 homes
- longest path 350km
- widest path 1.5km
When did the super outbreak occur? How many tornados formed and how many deaths?
- 1974
- 148 tornados
- killed 330 across 13 states
What is the average diameter of a tornado?
250 m
What si the average pressure at the centre of a tornado?
10% greater (or more ) than surroundings
What is the verge path length o a tornado?
25km
What is the average forward speed of a tornado?
45 km/hr
What is the average duration of a tornado?
15 minutes
Who operates the USA tornado warning system?
National Oceanic and Atmospere Administration (NOAA)
What are the five steps in the NOAAs tornado warning system?
- Forecast tornadigenic weather conditions
- Issue WATCH alert
- Use radar to erect whether a tornado is present.
- Issue WARNING if tornado is located
- Initiate emergency plans
What is the typical warning time for a tornado?
Few minutes
What is the characteristics cloud that occurs prior to a tornado event?
MAMMATUS
What colour is the sky typically prior to a tornado event?
Dark/green
What does satellite imaging look for prior to a tornado event?
The top of the mesocyclone in the stratosphere
How does infrared detect mesocyclone clouds in the stratosphere?
They are cooler than the surrounding clouds
How many Doppler stations are present in the USA?
155 fixed Doppler stations in the USA
What happens to reflected waves when the storm is moving towards the Doppler/radar station?
They have shorter wavelengths
The greater the Doppler reflection, the grate the what?
Rainfall intensity
