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How does a tornado form step by step?
Rising air from the ground pushes up on the swirling air and tips it over. The funnel of swirling air begins to suck up more warm air from the ground. The funnel grows longer and stretches toward the ground. When the funnel touches the ground it becomes a tornado.
How does a tornado Get caused?
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.
Where are tornadoes most likely to form?
Great Plains
Most tornadoes are found in the Great Plains of the central United States – an ideal environment for the formation of severe thunderstorms. In this area, known as Tornado Alley, storms are caused when dry cold air moving south from Canada meets warm moist air traveling north from the Gulf of Mexico.
What do tornadoes produce?
The most violent tornadoes are capable of tremendous destruction with wind speeds of up to 300 mph. They can destroy large buildings, uproot trees and hurl vehicles hundreds of yards. They can also drive straw into trees. Damage paths can be in excess of one mile wide to 50 miles long.
Can a tornado form at night?
Tornadoes can also happen at any time of day or night, but most tornadoes occur between 4–9 p.m. What is the difference between a Tornado WATCH and a Tornado WARNING?
How do you make your own tornado?
Make Your Own Tornado. 2. Place the other bottle on top, lining up the openings as best you can. 2. Duct tape the two bottles together as tightly as possible (it will still leak a little bit). Take it outside (because it leaks) and turn it upside down (so that the water is in the top bottle). Spin counter-clockwise.
What does it take to form tornadoes?
The Short Answer: A tornado forms from a large thunderstorm . Inside thunderclouds, warm, humid air rises, while cool air falls–along with rain or hail. These conditions can cause spinning air currents inside the cloud.
What conditions are needed for a tornado to form?
For a tornado to form, two things are needed–a warm, humid air mass, and a cold, dry air mass. Thunderstorms usually contain large swells of warm air. When the warm air moves upward into an area of cold air, instabilities will begin to form.
How do tornadoes form and what are their effects?
Tornado Facts A tornado forms when changes in wind speed and direction create a horizontal spinning effect within a storm cell. This effect is then tipped vertical by rising air moving up through the thunderclouds. The meteorological factors that drive tornadoes make them more likely at some times than at others.