Tornadoes
Tornadoes
are one of the most beautiful things to grace this earth,
coming in all different shapes and sizes. They are a
violently rotating column of air that is in contact
with both the surface of the Earth and a cumulonimbus
cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud.
It is often referred to as a twister, whirlwind or
cyclone, although the word cyclone is used in meteorology
to name a weather system with a low-pressure area in the
center around which, from an observer looking down toward
the surface of the Earth, winds blow counterclockwise in
the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern
Hemisphere.
Science
Tornadoes form within severe thunderstorms, particularly supercells,
when a combination of warm, moist air and a change in wind speed and
direction with height (wind shear) creates a rotating column of air
that extends from the cloud to the ground. The three key ingredients
for a tornado to form are:
- Warm, Moist Air Near the Ground
- Cool, Dry Air Above
- Wind Shear