A tornado is a violently rotating column of air in contact with and extending between a cloud, often thunderstorm cloud, and the surface of the Earth. Winds in most tornadoes blow at 100 mph or less, but in the most violent and less frequent, they can exceed 250 mph.
Several conditions are required for the development of tornadoes and the thunderstorm clouds with which most tornadoes are associated. Abundant low level moisture is necessary, and a'trigger' (perhaps a cold front) is needed to lift the moist air aloft.
Once the air begins to rise and becomes saturated, it will continue rising to great heights and produce a thunderstorm cloud if the atmosphere is unstable.
Tornadoes usually form in areas where winds at all levels of the atmosphere are not only strong, but also turn with height in a clockwise direction.
Source: {http://www.weather.com/encyclopedia/tornado/form.html}
The winds in a tornado can create incredible damage in a number of ways. The obvious way is by picking things up and throwing them violently around, including people, cars, boats, and even boxcars. A person would be lucky to survive being caught in the winds.
A tornado normally creates a cloud of dust and debris can include large pieces of wood, bricks, glass, and sharp metals. Trees and telephone poles are snapped like twigs and throwing into houses.
Source: {http://wiki.answers.com/q/what_makes_tornadoes_so_dangerous}
YOU ARE READING
Now You Know
Non-FictionThis is a compilation of some interesting questions- such as why do cats hate water? What's the difference between a tumor and cancer? How does Radiation effect the body? As well as cool lists, such as the world's rarest diseases, the world's most i...
