Tornado's can Happen Any Time!

6/13/2018 (Permalink)

Tornadoes Explained
Tornadoes are a destructive weather occurrence that is measured by the Enhanced Fujita Scale. While they vary in strength, tornadoes can destroy buildings, lift railroad cars and create other damage to surrounding areas.  Tornadoes are columns of air that begin to rotate slowly and pick up speed until they are violently spinning funnels though it may not be visible until it reaches the ground and picks up debris.

Tornado Formation
No one knows exactly how tornadoes form, but a supercell thunderstorm is required. Supercell thunderstorms differ from traditional thunderstorms in that they have strong updrafts of rotating air. Other necessary factors for tornado formation may include strong wind changes, moisture in the air or temperature differences between downdrafts and the surrounding air.

Funnel Cloud or Tornado?
Many people confuse funnel clouds with tornadoes, but they are different. Tornadoes start as funnel-shaped clouds that extend down from a thunderstorm’s cloud base. A funnel cloud is comprised of tiny moisture droplets that are visible as it rotates. However, some funnel clouds lack moisture and are invisible. Once funnel clouds reach the ground, they become tornadoes.

Tornado Facts
The path of destruction created by tornadoes ranges from 100 yards to more than 2.6 miles. They typically travel from southwest to northeast with speeds between 30 and 70 mph. Tornadoes can last for a few seconds or more than an hour, but typically don’t last more than 10 minutes.

Tornado Locations
Tornadoes can form anywhere in the U.S. but are most common in the deep south and between the Appalachian and the Rocky Mountains. They occur most in April, May, and June, but can occur at any time of the year.  Did you know that the deep south generally has more tornadoes than the plains do?  The key difference is the deep south tornadoes are short lived and not very strong, the plains tornadoes are long lived and often the huge monster tornadoes of nightmares.

Tornado Causes
Tornado formation requires the convergence of three air layers. The ground layer consists of warm, moist air with strong winds from the South. Another layer is in the upper atmosphere and consists of cold air with winds coming from the west or southwest. The third layer is in the middle and consists of hot, dry air, which allows the lower layer to heat up. This creates instability that is exacerbated when the upper layer begins to move east. The result is that all the layers begin to lift, which creates thunderstorms and strong updrafts. The interaction between the updrafts and surrounding winds can cause the rotation to develop, which is a tornado.

If a tornado has affected your home or business give SERVPRO of Meridian a call at 601-693-7300.  Our team of trained technicians are ready at a moments notice to assist you in putting your life back to normal.