tornadoes and hurricanes
DESCRIPTION
Tornadoes and Hurricanes. CGF3M Tues. Dec. 10, 2013. Tornadoes. Also called a twister or cyclone A tornado is a powerful rotating column of air extending from a thunderstorm to the ground, with updwards spiralling winds Occur most frequently in late spring/ early summer, between 3-9 pm. - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
CGF3MTues. Dec. 10, 2013
Tornadoes and Hurricanes
Also called a twister or cycloneA tornado is a powerful rotating column of air
extending from a thunderstorm to the ground, with updwards spiralling winds
Occur most frequently in late spring/ early summer, between 3-9 pm.
Found in Canada, Russia, China, Bangladesh, Argentina, Australia- but are most frequent in the US
More than 700 occur per year in the US
Tornadoes
Warm, moist air from Gulf of Mexico moves north and collides with polar air moving south from the Arctic
Creates instability in the atmosphere, leading to supercells
Tornado Alley
How a Tornado Forms
FLASH animation
Storm chasers spend up to 12 hours / day in a vehicle tracking down storms to study
Some use specially-designed vehicles that can actually enter a tornado to collect data and video
Inside a tornado- incredible video!
Dangers of storm chasing- 3 dead aftertracking- video
Tornado Chasers
The Fujita Scale ranks tornadoes according to wind speed, duration, and path of destruction
The path can be erratic and may suddenly change direction
Damage can extend anywhere from 15-450 kms in length, and can be 2 metres- 2 km wide
Approx. 80 tornadoes occur each year in Canada, 2 deaths
Before and after pictures- Joplin, MI
Destruction from a Tornado
Tornado watch- conditions are ripe for the development of a tornado… stay tuned.
Tornado warning- a funnel cloud has been spotted in the area. Take shelter!
Tornado Warning vs. Watch
Also known as typhoons, tropical cyclones, and willy-willies
Originate over the warm ocean in areas close to the Equator
Intro- video Read the article about recent Typhoon
Haiyan, answer questions
Tomorrow: Guest speaker!
Hurricanes