Formation of Tornados
One of the most extreme weather events on the planet is tornados. These cause immense destruction in the location where they take place and are a form of a vertical funnel. These are attached to the base of a thunderstorm and are considered to be one of the most violent thunderstorms that occur on the planet (National Weather Service). Hail is also usually found to be around tornadoes, and these storms are extremely dangerous as weather events due to their destructive nature. Tornadoes are capable of destroying everything in their vicinity. Even large buildings and strong trees can be destroyed if they happen to be within the proximity of the tornado. The powerful nature of the tornadoes makes them a weather event of an extreme nature.
The formation of tornadoes begins with thunderclouds, wherein the humid air rises up while the cool air falls down. This occurs along with rain or hail and creates air currents that spin within the clouds. The event of this form of spinning initially begins horizontally and converts into a vertical nature leading to the creation of a tornado (Doe, 2016). At the same time, the heavier clouds remain low and are the cause of the rain that occurs along with the tornado. Tornadoes do not frequently occur throughout the world and are more common in some regions of the world as compared to other regions. Conditions such as unstable air with winds blowing at different directions and speeds in different altitudes create thunderstorms that eventually result in tornadoes (Doe, 2016). Essentially, the weather conditions created by ‘wind shears’ are responsible for the formation of tornados. The blowing wind can discontinue with the air becoming still prior to the tornado, and dusty clouds may become visible as a result of the tornado (National Weather Service). While some tornados are visible clearly to the naked eye, sometimes they may not be visible as a result of being obscured by low hanging clouds that make the funnel of the tornado hard to spot (National Weather Service). Since the winds within the tornado cannot be measured directly, they are measured as per their destructive impact (Sci Jinks). Tornados are most common within the U.S., especially in North America, due to the weather conditions that enable their formation. They tend to occur during the seasons of spring and summer, usually around the hours of the early evening (NSSL). While tornados usually come from supercell thunderstorms and are extremely dangerous, they can also be a result of non-supercell thunderstorms. Rotating updrafts result in the development of supercell thunderstorms (NSSL). Non-supercell tornados tend to occur during the early morning hours and are considered to be much weaker in nature.
The damage created by tornados is a result of the strong winds that comprise of debris and dust. The damage is determined by the wind speed and the atmospheric pressure around the wind speed. A tornado with a high wind speed with a disparity in the air pressure around the wind is capable of causing a large amount of destruction (Mentzer). Violent tornados have a wind speed of up to 300 mph and can cause objects as heavy as trees and automobiles to be airborne (NSSL). Further, the destruction can also heavily damage residential households and create debris comprising of lethal substances such as broken glasses (NSSL). Usually, before the occurrence of a tornado, widespread warnings are issued as the tornado is a hazardous weather event with a lethal impact. Being able to understand the climatology of local tornados can make a difference in how individuals prepare for the tornado and how they perceive the risks associated with tornados (Ellis et al.). Being able to adequately understand the risks associated with tornados as a hazardous weather event can impact if individuals decide to purchase homes with shelters for tornados. This impacts the vulnerability of residents, especially in areas wherein the visibility of the tornadoes may be blocked by trees, hills and darkness (Ellis et al.). Residents tend to relate the risks associated with tornados in accordance with their environment, and in an environment wherein the threats related to the tornado are not perceived immediately due to environmental blockages; the residents may choose to not take the warnings related to the tornado seriously (Ellis et al.). A high number of mobile homes and poverty incidences also create a form of ‘social vulnerability’ towards tornados. As per a report, mobile homes cannot offer adequate protection against a tornado even if they are forced into one place by being heavily tied down (Schmidlin et al. 192). This makes individuals within mobile homes highly susceptible to tornados, and as per the National Weather Service, mobile homes should be abandoned in the event of a tornado (Schmidlin et al. 193). Furthermore, another research indicates that only 33% of mobile homes come along with a tornado shelter for the protection of the residents of the mobile home. This is a worrisome statistic as the area is extremely susceptible to tornados (Schmidlin et al. 193). Residents in tornado-prone areas should seek shelter immediately in the case of a tornado due to the potential harm it can cause. Though the ability to predict tornados adequately could help in evacuating the areas prior to the development of the storm, weather radar is used to evaluate the probability of a tornado’s occurrence, and forecasters can predict the same by judging the existence of tornado-like features (Brotzge and Donner 1717). Accordingly, community members in the area are provided with warnings through informal and formal channels (Brotzge and Donner 1721). The understanding, belief and comprehension of such warnings depend upon the individuals.
Damage caused by Tornados
In the U.S., more than 500 tornados were reported within a span of 30 days which is a high number of tornados (Hausfather). Tornadoes have become clustered in recent years, and there is evidence that the power of tornados has begun to rise in recent years (Hausfather). Since climate change has an impact on various extreme weather events and creates differences in the heat and cold levels of the atmosphere, the number of tornados that are experienced around the world has also changed significantly (Hausfather). Due to human activities and GHG emissions, the Earth is getting warmer and global warming is beginning to occur, but this also creates the opportunity for the formation of more severe thunderstorms in the future (National Geographic). Official tornado records in the U.S.A began around the 1950s, and there has been an increase in the number of recorded tornados since the records began (National Geographic). Tornado patterns have also begun experiencing changes as a result of climate change, and evidence suggests that these patterns have taken a geographic shift as a result of climate change. There have also been instances of 30 or more tornados being recorded in a single day in the U.S.A., and this reflects the rising frequency of tornados (C2ES). This implies that with the changing climatic conditions of the planet, there is a possibility that occurrences of a tornado may become more frequent and may also occur in areas that have not been traditionally prone to tornados. This raises concerns due to the dangerous and extreme nature of tornados on the planet. Conditions that lead to the development of an atmosphere that supports strong thunderstorms that lead to tornados are more likely to occur on a warmer planet (C2ES).
In conclusion, while tornados are extremely common in the U.S.A. and their frequency is likely to increase in the coming years, there have been many instances of the general public not taking adequate safety precautions in the events of tornados. These are even more dangerous for those individuals that reside in mobile homes as they lack the capacity to provide adequate shelter during a tornado. This implies that the government needs to consider building stricter and more stringent codes in areas prone to tornados.
Brotzge, Jerry, and William Donner. “The tornado warning process: A review of current research, challenges, and opportunities.” Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, vol. 94, no. 11, 2013, pp. 1715-1733
C2ES. Tornadoes and Climate Change. Center for Climate and Energy Solutions, n.d. https://www.c2es.org/content/tornadoes-and-climate-change/. Accessed 29 March 2022.
Doe, Robert K., “Extreme weather: forty years of the Tornado and Storm Research Organisation (TORRO)”, John Wiley & Sons, 2015.
Ellis, Kelsey N., Lisa Reyes Mason, and Kelly N. Gassert. “Public understanding of local tornado characteristics and perceived protection from land-surface features in Tennessee, U.S.A.” PLoS one , vol. 14, no.7, 2019, e0219897
Mentzer, A. Damage Caused by a Tornado. Sciencing, 2018. https://sciencing.com/damage-caused-tornado-5529386.html. Accessed 28 March 2022
National Geogrpahic. Tornadoes and Climate Change. National Geographic, 2019. https://www.nationalgeographic.org/article/tornadoes-and-climate-change/. Accessed 29 March 2022.
National Weather Service. Tornado Definition. Weather, n.d. https://www.weather.gov/phi/TornadoDefinition# . Accessed 28 March 2021.
NSSL. Frequently Asked Questions about Tornadoes. NSSL.NOAA, n.d. https://www.nssl.noaa.gov/education/svrwx101/tornadoes/faq/. Accessed 28 March 2022
NSSL. Severe Weather 101. NSSL.NOAA, n.d. https://www.nssl.noaa.gov/education/svrwx101/tornadoes/types/. Accessed 28 March 2022.
Schmidlin, Thomas W., et al. “Tornado shelter-seeking behavior and tornado shelter options among mobile home residents in the United States.” Natural Hazards, vol. 48, no. 2, 2009, pp. 191-201
Sci Jinks. How Do Tornadoes Form? Scijinks, n.d. https://scijinks.gov/tornado/. Accessed 28 March 2022
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