Understanding the dangers Tornado preparedness
a tornado no obvious funnel upper clouds, although rotating dust cloud indicates strong winds @ surface.
a tornado operates rotating, funnel-shaped cloud extends downward thunderstorm, ground, swirling winds have reached 300 miles per hour (480 km/h). wind speed might difficult imagine: traveling length of u.s. football field within 1 second (over 130 meters or 430 feet per second). damage paths have been in excess of one-mile wide (1.6 km) , 50 miles long (80 km).
not tornadoes seen. tornado funnel can transparent until reaching area loose dirt , debris. also, tornadoes have been seen against sunlit areas, rain or nearby low-hanging clouds has obscured other tornadoes. occasionally, tornadoes have developed suddenly, rapidly, little, if any, advance warning possible.
before tornado strikes area, wind has been known die down , air become still. cloud of debris has marked bottom of tornado when funnel not visible. tornadoes typically occur along trailing edge of thunderstorm.
the following summary of typical tornadoes:
they may strike quickly, little or no warning.
they may appear transparent until dust , debris picked or cloud forms in funnel.
the average tornado moves southwest northeast in u.s., tornadoes have been known move in direction.
the average forward speed of tornado 30 miles per hour (48 km/h), has varied stationary 70 mph (110 km/h).
tornadoes can accompany tropical storms , hurricanes move onto land.
waterspouts tornadoes form on water.
tornadoes reported east of rocky mountains during spring , summer months.
peak tornado season in southern u.s. states march through may; in northern states, late spring through summer.
tornadoes occur between 3 p.m. , 9 p.m. (local time), have occurred @ other times.
^ tornado , fema.gov, august 2010, web: fema-tornado archived 2011-04-29 @ wayback machine..
^ speed of 300 miles per hour 300*5280 = 1,584,000 feet per hour, or 440 feet (134 m) per second.
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