Meteorology and You

Common Core State Standard: ELA: Reading Informational Text (3.1-10 through 8.1-10)

Tornadoes
Tornadoes are capable of creating the strongest winds found on the planet. They
can destroy everything in their path, and have a history of killing hundreds of
people at a time. Thousands of experienced meteorologists chase tornadoes every
year, but there is still a lot that is not known about these intense columns of air.

How does a tornado form?

Much of it has to do with the clashing of different air masses. In the spring-time
months it is common to have warm, moist air streaming up from the Gulf of Large EF5 Tornado
Mexico, which runs into advancing cold dry air from the north and west. This will lead to rising air,
which is conducive to thunderstorm development. If those thunderstorms become strong enough, the
updrafts and downdrafts inside the storm can cause rotation. Once the rotation becomes strong enough,
a wall cloud will form. The wall cloud is simply the lowering of the cloud base, so it looks almost like
a wall. The rotation in the storm may continue to strengthen, to the point where a tight column of air
reaches the ground. At that point you have a tornado. If the column of air does not touch the ground, it is
called a funnel cloud.

The Enhanced Fujita Scale

Tornadoes are rated on a scale from zero to 5, based on wind speed and extent of damage. The weak-
est tornadoes are called EF-0, and the large, violent
tornadoes achieve a rating of EF-5. Wind speeds in an
EF-5 can top 300 miles per hour!

Historically strong tornadoes

In the past three years, there have been an abun-
dance of violent tornadoes, some of which have
caused incredible damage. One of which was the Jo-
plin, MO tornado on May 22nd, 2011. This large EF-5
tornado was surrounded by heavy rain, so the resi-
dents of Joplin were not able to see it coming. When
all was said and done, 158 people were killed May 22, 2011 Joplin Tornado damage A Clash of Air Masses
by that violent twister.

Did You Know
In Connecticut, we average around 1 tornado per year,
but they are typically on the weaker end of the scale.
Since 1950 there have been only 4 tornado deaths in the
Activity
state, and only 2 of the EF-4 category. That being said,
we still have to be prepared
for any type of weather that
nature throws at us.
Lightning Quick
Tornado in a bottle:
At most toy stores, you can find a piece that
screws in between two soda bottles… When you
secure it on the bottles and then let the water
drain from one bottle to the other, a mini torna-
do will form in the water! This process is similar
to what happens in the atmosphere, because air
acts like a fluid.