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- What Tornadoes Are & What Causes Them
What Tornadoes Are & What Causes Them
A
tornado is a violently rotating column of air extending from a
thunderstorm to the ground. The most violent tornadoes have rotating
winds of 250 miles per hour or more. They are capable of causing extreme
destruction, including uprooting trees and well-made structures, and
turning normally harmless objects into deadly missiles. Most tornadoes
are just a few dozen yards wide and only briefly touch down, but highly
destructive violent tornadoes may carve out paths over a mile wide and
more than 50 miles long. Although violent tornadoes comprise only 2%of all tornadoes, they are responsible for nearly 70% of
tornado-related fatalities.
Formation
Tornadoes develop from severe thunderstorms in warm, moist, unstable air along and ahead of cold fronts. Such thunderstorms also may generate large hail and damaging winds. When intense springtime storm systems produce large, persistent areas that support tornado development, major outbreaks can occur. During the late spring, tornadic thunderstorms can develop in the southern High Plains along a "dry line," the interface between warm, moist air to the east and hot, dry air to the west. From the front range of the Rocky Mountains southward into the Texas Panhandle, slope flow of unstable air can cause tornadic thunderstorms to develop. While generally smaller and not as frequent, tornadoes occurring west of the Rocky Mountains of the United States also cause damage and threaten lives annually.
Tropical storms and hurricanes also generate tornadoes. Such tornadoes are most common to the right and ahead of the storm path or the storm center as it comes ashore. In 1967, Hurricane Beulah produced 148 tornadoes as it made landfall in south Texas.
Precautions
While tornadoes can be highly destructive and are potentially deadly, timely precautions can save lives and reduce property damage. During active weather, stay alert of the forecast by listening to radio, television, or a NOAA Weather Radio. Contact your local National Weather Service (NWS) office, the Brownsville Office of Emergency Management, your local emergency management agency, or American Red Cross chapter for more information about your risk from tornadoes.
Formation
Tornadoes develop from severe thunderstorms in warm, moist, unstable air along and ahead of cold fronts. Such thunderstorms also may generate large hail and damaging winds. When intense springtime storm systems produce large, persistent areas that support tornado development, major outbreaks can occur. During the late spring, tornadic thunderstorms can develop in the southern High Plains along a "dry line," the interface between warm, moist air to the east and hot, dry air to the west. From the front range of the Rocky Mountains southward into the Texas Panhandle, slope flow of unstable air can cause tornadic thunderstorms to develop. While generally smaller and not as frequent, tornadoes occurring west of the Rocky Mountains of the United States also cause damage and threaten lives annually.
Tropical storms and hurricanes also generate tornadoes. Such tornadoes are most common to the right and ahead of the storm path or the storm center as it comes ashore. In 1967, Hurricane Beulah produced 148 tornadoes as it made landfall in south Texas.
Precautions
While tornadoes can be highly destructive and are potentially deadly, timely precautions can save lives and reduce property damage. During active weather, stay alert of the forecast by listening to radio, television, or a NOAA Weather Radio. Contact your local National Weather Service (NWS) office, the Brownsville Office of Emergency Management, your local emergency management agency, or American Red Cross chapter for more information about your risk from tornadoes.