Tornado, Twister, or Cyclone?
Ashley Hendricks and Emily Thatcher
Damage: How Much Can it Cause?
Tornadoes are not your ordinary wind. These monstrous whirlwinds can get to speeds up to 300 miles per hour. The real question is, how much damage can occur? Tornadoes are ranked on intensity with the Enhanced Fujita Scale. The lowest is EF0, and the highest is EF5. An EF0 spin from 65 to 85 mph. They can yank off branches and shingles. A EF1 spins at speeds from 86 to 110 mph. They can flip a mobile home, break windows and ruin the outside of a house. EF2's go from 111 to 135 mph. They will destroy a mobile home and can rip roofs from houses. EF3 twister have a range of 136-165 mph, and will toss vehicles around, flip trains, and might even pick up houses. EF4's can go a whopping 166-200 range. They can bring an entire house crashing to the ground, but that isn't the worst. An EF5 has a speed that is 200+, and can destroy a big office building, chuck trucks, and everything that was listed for other tornadoes is possible for this monster as well. if you want to stay away from these storms, you have to know all about them!
How They Form
Tornadoes occur when clouds crash to Earth in a violent funnel. Cold, dry air masses from Canada moves south. The warm, humid air from the Gulf of Mexico floats north. When these air masses meet the cold air moves under the warm. This causes the warm air mass to rise. During this, a squall of thunderstorms are likely to occur. Storms move southwest to northeast and may happen for days. A single squall line can produce ten tornadoes.
Safety Tips
-Do get into a sturdy shelter that can last the storm.
-Don't go near windows.
-Do get as low as you can inside a house.
-Don't stay in a mobile home; it could flip over.
-Don't go near tall furniture.
-Do drive away from the tornado.
-Don't go under a bridge
-Do stay as far away from the tornado as you can!
Interesting Facts
-The deadliest tornado in U.S history was the "Tri-State Tornado", which occurred on March 18th, 1925. It killed 695 people and injured 2,027. It swept through Missouri, Illinois and Indiana. It was rated an EF5.
-Three out of four tornadoes occur in the U.S.
- A tornado can pluck the feathers off a chicken!
-The U.S. has an average of 800 tornadoes a year.
-Some tornadoes are quiet, while some can be very loud.