Tornadoes Flashcards
What is the most important force operating in a tornado?
Pressure gradient force
Why is the Coriolis deflection negligible in a tornado?
The system is too small to be significantly affected by the Earth’s rotation
What are three characteristics of most tornadoes in the Northern Hemisphere?
- Counterclockwise rotation as viewed from above
- A track towards the east or northeast
- Associated with a severe thunderstorm
What is a funnel cloud?
A tornadic circulation that remains aloft and does not touch the Earth’s surface
Where is the best place to take shelter if you are indoors during a tornado?
Get in the basement and get under a sturdy structure
Typically, of all the tornadoes that occur each year in North America, most are rated as __ on the F-scale
weak
The most intense tornadoes are rated __ on the F-scale.
5
Where are tornadoes most likely to occur?
In Oklahoma in the spring
Where are tornadoes most likely to occur in an intense extratropical cyclone?
Southeast
What are tornadoes most often triggered by in the United States?
Cyclones
When are tornadoes most likely to develop in the southern Great Plains?
Dry Pacific air overlies a layer of maritime tropical air
What are the conditions required for the development of a tornadic circulation within a thunderstorm?
- Strong updraft
- Strong vertical shear in the horizontal wind
- Development of a mesocyclone
What is the life expectancy of a weak tornado?
1-3 minutes
The Coriolis Effect is important in a __ than in a __.
Thunderstorm …… tornado
What are the peak months for tornadoes in the United States?
April, May, June
