A tornado is a violently rotating column of air that extends from a thunderstorm to the ground. Most tornadoes have wind speeds under 110 mph and dissipate after traveling a short distance. During storms, warm air rises while cold air sinks, causing the warm air to twist into a funnel-shaped spiral. Wall clouds are large cloud formations that often precede tornado formation. The deadliest tornadoes have caused hundreds of deaths and billions in damage, like the Joplin, Missouri tornado of 2011. Tornado Alley in the central US has the highest frequency of tornadoes. Doppler radar and other technologies help forecasters monitor conditions for potential tornado development.

1. TORNADOES
By: Anna Hillman

2. Intro (What is a Tornado?)
A tornado is a violently rotating column of
air that is in contact with both the surface of
the earth and a cumulonimbus cloud; in some
cases, it will be the base of a cumulus cloud.
Most tornadoes have wind speeds less than
110 miles per hour, are about 250 feet
wide, and travel only a few miles before they
dissipate.

3. How Does a Tornado Form?
During a storm, cold air
and warm air combine in a
set pattern. The cold air
drops as the warm air
rises. The warm air
eventually twists into a
spiral and forms the funnel
cloud that we all associate
with a tornado.

4. Wall Clouds
A wall cloud is a large, lowering cloud formation that develops
beneath the base of a cumulonimbus cloud that often forms
tornadoes.

5. Tornado Disasters
• On May 22, 1987, between 8:15 p.m. and 8:20
p.m., Saragosa, Texas, was devastated by a
violent, multiple-vortex tornado, with winds of 207-260
mph.
• On April 3-4, 1974, a super tornado
outbreak. It was the worst
tornado outbreak in U.S. history
at that time with 148 twisters
touching down in 13 states.
330 people were killed and
5,484 were injured in a
damaging path covering more
than 2,500 miles.
http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=1766&page=60

6. Tornado Disasters
• On May 11, 1953, the Waco Texas Tornado killed 114
people. It is considered the deadliest tornado to ever hit
Texas. The Waco storm damaged 600 businesses, 850
homes and 2,000 cars.
• On April 27, 2011, more than
300 tornadoes (four of those
reaching the highest level on
the tornado severity scale, an EF5)
ripped through the
Southeast, leveling whole
towns and killing 321 people.
• On May 22, 2011, by another EF5
tornado in Joplin, Missouri that wiped
out the town and killed 158 people.
Kucera, Martin, http://www.floridalightning.com/Storm_Chasing_2008.html

7. Water Spouts
http://www.srh.noaa.gov/mfl/?n=waterspouts
• A water spout is a rotating
column of water and spray
formed by a whirlwind occurring
over the sea or other body of
water. (In other words, a tornado
over water).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waterspout

8. Tornado Alley
• Tornado Alley is an
area of the United
States where
tornadoes are most
frequent. There is no
official location
where tornadoes
form, but the area
between the Rocky
Mountains and
Appalachian
Mountains are the
areas usually
associated with it.
http://www.tornadochaser.net/tornalley.html

9. Monitoring and Predicting Tornadoes
• When predicting tornadoes, the Doppler radar will
help a lot. The radar's beam, which forces
microwaves into the precipitation and creates an
image of the wind's motion. This is too wide to
properly pinpoint the actual tornado. Therefore, the
Doppler radar can only suggest that conditions are
ripe for a tornado to present itself.
• Tornadoes send out ultra long-wave low-frequency
sounds. These noises are known as infrasound.
Infrasound detectors can signal the approach of a
tornado just minutes before it occurs.

10. Monitoring and Predicting Tornadoes
• The MAPR's (Multiple Antenna Profiler Radar)
antenna is continuously observing vertical wind
speeds. This continuity in wind measurements
allows the radar to pick up on significant wind
shears that might be missed by Doppler radar.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8087823/ns/technology_and_science-science/t/storm-chasers-upgrade-high-tech-radar/

11. 0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011
EF3
EF4
EF5
Key
NumberofTornadoes
Years
Number of Tornadoes in 2007-2011

12. Tornado Preparation
• Make sure your car’s gas tank is full.
• Be aware of changing weather conditions, especially darkening skies, rain, and rising
wind. If you see a funnel cloud, you could have no more than five minutes to get to
shelter. (If you can actually hear the tornado, you have only a few seconds).
• Leave low areas because there might be flooding or high tides.
• Listen for tornado watch updates and news.
• If in the water or a boat, go to shore and find shelter.
• Secure all outside furniture, barbecues, toys, etc.
• Nail boards across windows and tape them over so that wind pressure doesn’t shatter
the panes.
• Secure animals (and people!)
• Learn how to perform CPR and administer first aid.
• Check water, camping, emergency, and food supplies.
• Move valuables to the side of the house away from the wind.
• Have fresh batteries available for flashlights and portable radios.
• Store water in plastic bottles, jugs, pots, pans, and bathtubs.
• Try not to stay in a mobile home or R.V.
• Be prepared to evacuate and know where to go.

13. Staying Safe During A Tornado
• Hide in a storm cellar if you have one. Shelters should contain blankets, bottled
water, transistor radios and first-aid supplies.
• If you are outside, try to find shelter inside a building.
• If there is no storm cellar or shelter available, crouch in the southwest corner of your
basement. If there is no basement, lie out flat on the floor under heavy furniture or a
bed. Some people have survived in bathtubs by pulling mattresses over themselves, or
under stairwells or in closets.
• Surround yourself with a thick blanket for added protection.
• If you are outside, move away from the tornado’s path at a right angle.
• Do not stay in a building with a freestanding roof, like an auditorium or gym.
• If the tornado is too close for you to find shelter, lie on the ground in a ditch.
• Stay in the lowest story of the building.
• Keep away from windows and other breakable items.
• Get away from open areas and find shelter in interior hallways, reinforced rooms, or
partitioned spaces. Get as many walls as possible between you and the storm.
• If you are outdoors in a car, stop and find shelter inside a building, or hide in a ditch or
ravine. Lie facedown and cover your head. Don’t stand! Don’t try to outrun the tornado.
• Don’t leave your shelter until you hear that the tornado has ended.

14. Words Cited
• MHCS Marketing Team, Tornadoes: How to avoid Fremont emergency room visits, “Memorial
Hospital, 10-24-12, http://blog.memorialhcs.org/Memorial-Hospital-
Blog/bid/41230/Tornadoes-How-to-avoid-Fremont-emergency-room-visits
• Where is Tornado Alley, “Tornado Chaser”, 10-24-
12, http://www.tornadochaser.net/tornado.html
• “The Deadliest U.S. Tornadoes”, 10-25-
12, http://www.epicdisasters.com/index.php/site/comments/the_deadliest_us_tornadoes/
• Xara, “Beautiful Tornadoes Pictures”, 10-26-12, http://www.xarj.net/2012/beautiful-
tornados-pictures/
• Wikipedia, “Tornadoes of 2011”, 10-28-
12, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tornadoes_of_2011#Events
• Wikipedia, “Tornadoes of 2010”, 10-28-12, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tornadoes_of_2010
• Wikipedia, “Tornadoes of 2009, 10-28-12, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tornadoes_of_2009
• Wikipedia, “Tornadoes of 2008, 10-28-12, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tornadoes_of_2008
• Wikipedia, “Tornadoes of 2007, 10-28-12, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tornadoes_of_2007
• The Weather Channel, “Tracking and Researching Tornadoes”, 10-28-
12, http://www.weather.com/outlook/weather-news/severe-weather/articles/tornado-
agencies-track-research_2010-03-30