Researchers race to place sensors in tornadoes' paths. All at considerable risk. Tornadoes form when warm, humid air collides with cold, dry air. Some scientists, meteorology buffs, and adrenaline junkies hit the road during tornado season to chase storms. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. What Is The Difference Between “It’s” And “Its”? The most violent tornadoes come from supercells, large thunderstorms that have winds already in rotation. May generally has more tornadoes than any other month, but April's twisters are sometimes more violent. The funnel hits the ground and roars forward with a sound like that of a freight train approaching. 7 ) Tornado alley is the region in the middle of the United States where tornadoes are most frequent. Once a tornado hits the ground, it may live for as little as a few seconds or as long as three hours. Watch these landspouts, a small type of tornado, take place on a volcano. Disaster by tornado is not so easy to avoid as disaster by flood. Farther north, tornadoes tend to be more common later in summer. Extremely high winds tear homes and businesses apart. Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020, Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition Black storm clouds gather. They sometimes move inland and become tornadoes. Tornadoes have been reported in Great Britain, India, Argentina, and other countries, but they are most often seen in the United States. When it touches the ground, it becomes a tornado. Doppler radars record wind speeds and identify areas of rotation within thunderstorms. Tornadoes usually form in the tail end of violent thunderstorms, with weaker funnels sometimes forming in groups along a leading, My Week Shadowing a Tornado Hunter in Oklahoma, An Unexpected Twist Lights Up the Secrets of Turbulence, Improved three-week weather forecasts could save lives from disaster, Heed the Warnings: Why We’re on the Brink of Mass Extinction, Fact-Checking the Sunday Shows: November 2. Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free! Tornado definition, a potentially violent and destructive system of atmospheric circulation, characterized by a long, funnel-shaped cloud extending toward the ground and made visible by condensation and debris: although tornadoes have occurred on all continents except Antarctica, they are most common in the United States, especially in the area known as Tornado Alley. However, every U.S. state and every continent (except Antarctica) has experienced a tornado. Did you ever collect all those state quarters? a violent outburst, as of emotion or activity: the weekly tornado has arrived—in the form of my three grandchildren and their two dogs. (of XXI. Absentee Ballot vs. Mail-In Ballot: Is There A Difference? Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words? The warm air rises through the colder air, causing an updraft. What made you want to look up tornado? In 2013, National Geographic Explorer Tim Samaras and his team were killed while trying to study a tornado in Oklahoma. Although there is a wealth of scientific evidence, the difference between weather and climate can be difficult to understand. See the full definition for tornado in the English Language Learners Dictionary, Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for tornado, Nglish: Translation of tornado for Spanish Speakers, Britannica English: Translation of tornado for Arabic Speakers, Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about tornado. Why Do “Left” And “Right” Mean Liberal And Conservative? If the tip of the funnel touches the ground, it can cause extensive damage. “Democracy” vs. “Republic”: Is There A Difference? Dust devils are not associated with thunderstorms. But most tornado victims are struck by flying debrisâroofing shingles, broken glass, doors, metal rods. The most commonly used measure of a tornado is the Fujita scale which rates tornadoes by the amount of damage they cause, from F0 to F5. Tornadoes can occur at any time of year, but they are more common during a distinct season that begins in early spring for the states along the Gulf of Mexico. 'All Intensive Purposes' or 'All Intents and Purposes'? By this time the sun has heated the ground and the atmosphere enough to produce thunderstorms. Tornadoes typically take the form of a twisting, funnel-shaped cloud extending downward from storm clouds, often reaching the ground, and dissolving into thin, ropelike clouds as the tornado dissipates. Learn a new word every day. These violent storms occur around the world, but the United States is a major hotspot with about a thousand tornadoes every year. Giant, persistent thunderstorms called supercells spawn the most destructive tornadoes. The updraft will begin to rotate if winds vary sharply in speed or direction. All rights reserved. At the time, sirens were not yet standard in tornado country. Send us feedback. What is known is that most result from supercell thunderstorms. All rights reserved. U.S. tornadoes cause 80 deaths and more than 1,500 injuries per year. Water droplets from the mesocyclone's moist air form a funnel cloud. High winds sometimes kill or injure people by rolling them along the ground or dropping them from dangerous heights. About one in a thousand storms becomes a supercell, and one in five or six supercells spawns off a tornado. modification of Spanish tronada thunderstorm, from tronar to thunder, from Latin tonare — more at thunder entry 1. Their winds may top 250 miles an hour and can clear a pathway a mile wide and 50 miles long. The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Neither are fire tornadoes, which can spawn from wildfires. Exactly how and why tornadoes form is not completely understood. Who Is The “Jack” In The Term “Jack-o’-lantern,” Anyway? Also known as twisters, tornadoes are born in thunderstorms and are often accompanied by hail. Cool air fed by the jet stream, a strong band of wind in the atmosphere, provides even more energy. The season follows the jet streamâas it swings farther north, so does tornado activity.
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