Understanding Tornadoes: Formation and Classification

• Tornadoes begin as gentle, solitary "ghosts" and evolve into violent, destructive forces
• Tornadoes are powerful, spinning columns of air connecting the ground to the clouds
• Most tornadoes are weak, but large ones are extremely destructive

Tornado Occurrence

• Tornadoes occur on six of the seven continents
• The United Kingdom has the most tornadoes per land size, averaging about 33 per year
• The United States has the greatest overall number of tornadoes, reporting over 1,000 annually, and the most intense

Tornado Classification

• Tornadoes are classified as supercell or non-supercell
• Supercell tornadoes form within supercells, the most powerful thunderstorms
• Non-supercell tornadoes are smaller and weaker, forming within non-supercell storms

Tornado Formation Theories

• A key component in tornado formation is the presence of both high and low pressure air in a given space
• Air moves from high to low pressure areas, creating wind
• Non-supercell tornadoes start with cool high-pressure air and warm low-pressure air near ground level
• Air particles move horizontally from high to low pressure areas, increasing wind speed
• Winds at different speeds, directions, and altitudes start to blow cyclically
• Non-supercell tornadoes turn into an upright spinning vortex
• Supercell storms draw warm low-pressure air up, leaving cool high-pressure air near the ground
• Air trying to balance pressure creates vertical wind
• Wind increases and blows cyclically, forming a pipe of wind rolling along the ground
• An updraft, or upward current of wind, is crucial for creating a tornado
• In non-supercell tornadoes, an updraft stretches the vertical vortex to the clouds
• In supercell tornadoes, an updraft lifts the rolling pipe of wind upward
• Condensation is pulled from the skies into the spinning vortex
• Tornadoes are officially classified when the vortex connects the ground to the clouds

Enhanced Fujita Scale

• All tornadoes are rated using the Enhanced Fujita (EF) Scale
• The EF Scale ranges from EF0 to EF5, based on damage and Doppler radar wind speed estimates
• EF0 tornadoes are the weakest, with wind speeds between 65 to 85 miles per hour
• EF5 tornadoes are the strongest, with wind speeds exceeding 200 miles per hour

Noteworthy Tornado Event

• In 1999, an EF5 tornado in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, had wind speeds over 300 miles per hour
• The Oklahoma City tornado resulted in 36 fatalities, nearly 600 injuries, and about $1 billion in damages

Mitigation Efforts

• Tornadoes cannot be prevented, but communities are taking protective measures
• Meteorologists monitor storm fronts in high-risk areas to forecast potential tornadic events
• These efforts help mitigate damage and save lives