| Note: By a large majority, F0 & F1 tornadoes occur more often than F2 to F5 tornadoes. F0 Tornado Damage - Minor tornado damage; damage to chimneys, a few downed trees and power lines, large signs blown over, damaged porches and screen houses, and damaged lighter-weight outbuildings. Tornado wind speeds of 73 mph or less. F1 Tornado Damage - Moderate tornado damage; mobile homes moved off foundations or overturned, roof surfaces peeled off buildings, cars blown off roads, several large trees downed and some power outages. Tornado wind speeds of 74 mph to 112 mph. F2 to F5 Tornado Damage - Major tornado damage (up to complete destruction); mobile homes completely demolished, numerous large trees snapped off or totally uprooted, small debris objects (lawn mowers, smaller sections of roofs) become airborne missiles. Increasingly larger areas of power outages. Structural damage to sturdy buildings becomes a concern, beginning with roof and wall failures. In the worst situations, well-constructed walls fail or are even removed. Large debris objects (cars, larger sections of roofs) become airborne missiles causing further structural failures. Trees debarked. Tornado wind speeds 113 mph or greater, but in worse case situations 260 mph or greater. | FAQs
Description. Tornadoes are violently rotating columns of air, extending from a thunderstorm, which are in contact with the ground. Tornadoes develop when wind variations with height support rotation in the updraft. As seen below, tornadoes come in different sizes, many as narrow rope-like swirls, others as wide funnels ...
How would you describe a tornado warning? ›
Tornado Warning
This is issued when a tornado is indicated by the WSR-88D radar or sighted by spotters; therefore, people in the affected area should seek safe shelter immediately. They can be issued without a Tornado Watch being already in effect. They are usually issued for a duration of around 30 minutes.
What is tornado general description? ›
Tornado - A violently rotating column of air touching the ground, usually attached to the base of a thunderstorm. Tornadoes are nature"s most violent storms. Spawned from powerful thunderstorms, tornadoes can cause fatalities and devastate a neighborhood in seconds. Winds of a tornado may reach 300 miles per hour.
What are five words that describe a tornado? ›
Synonyms of 'tornado' in British English
- whirlwind. They scattered like leaves in a whirlwind.
- storm. the violent storms which whipped America's East Coast.
- hurricane. Homes have been destroyed in the hurricane's destructive path.
- gale. ...
- cyclone. ...
- typhoon. ...
- tempest (literary) ...
- squall.
Tornadoes have been documented in every U.S. state (not including the non-state territories of Guam, the Virgin Islands, American Samoa, and Puerto Rico) at least once since 1950, although some regions and states are hit by tornadoes far more than others.
Why are tornadoes so scary? ›
In the U.S., tornadoes are one of our most deadly natural disasters. Tornadoes are swirling air columns stretching from a cumuliform cloud to the ground. They typically occur within supercell thunderstorms, and they have the potential to be deadly because of the intense energy that is concentrated within a small area.
What words describe the sound of a tornado? ›
Then comes a deafening rumble like an approaching freight train, the terrifying screech of nails being ripped from wooden boards and unpredictable thuds from flying debris. These are the sounds often described by tornado survivors recounting their escape from these storms.
How do you use tornado warning in a sentence? ›
After a tornado warning was issued, a school near the warehouse was evacuated. This example is from Wikipedia and may be reused under a CC BY-SA license. Lightning, hail, and a tornado warning, emptied the grandstands at 3 p.m.
What do you call a tornado storm? ›
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 ...
What are 2 short facts about tornadoes? ›
Here are some fascinating facts about tornadoes.
- Tornadoes can form in any month of the year, not just during “tornado season” ...
- The United States sees an average of 1,000 tornadoes each year. ...
- Tornadoes can have wind speeds upwards of 300 miles per hour. ...
- Tornadoes can form from both supercell and non-supercell thunderstorms.
Weak | (EFO, EF1) These tornadoes are classified as having wind speeds of 65 to 110 miles per hour. Strong | (EF2, EF3) These tornadoes are classified as having wind speeds of 111 to 165 miles per hour. Violent | (EF4, EF5) These tornadoes are classified as having wind speeds of 166 to 200 miles per hour.
What are the 5 warning signs that a tornado might occur? ›
Tornado Warning Signs List
- The color of the sky may change to a dark greenish color.
- A strange quiet occurring within or shortly after a thunderstorm.
- A loud roar that sounds similar to a freight train.
- An approaching cloud of debris, especially at ground level.
- Debris falling from the sky.
A tornado is a type of storm in which powerful rotating winds form a column, which reaches from a cloud down toward the ground. The winds of a tornado are the strongest on Earth. They may reach speeds of up to 300 miles (500 kilometers) per hour.
What words begin with O? ›
List 10 words that start with 'O'.
- Owl.
- Oil.
- Opt.
- Orbit.
- Occur.
- Optional.
- Occasion.
- Opposite.
Winds in a tornado are almost always cyclonic; that is, they turn counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere.
What does a tornado sound like? ›
Tornadoes can indeed produce loud noises due to the violent winds and debris they carry. These noises can be reminiscent of a train or jet engine passing by. The phenomenon is a result of the strong winds swirling at high speeds, creating a rumbling sound that can be heard from a distance. 1.
