What is a tornado and how is it formed?
The tornado, like the hurricane, is a devastating natural phenomenon that, with climate change, is becoming more frequent and of greater intensity, producing devastating effects. Tornadoes are a column of air that rotates very violently and that extends from the ground to the base of a cloud that, in general, is cumuliform.
To know how a tornado forms, you first have to know what conditions are necessary for its formation. Atmospheric instability and the formation of storms known as super storm cells are some of the conditions for a tornado to occur.
Discover one of the most violent natural phenomena due to its fast winds, which can reach more than 400 kilometers per hour and cause deaths and devastating damage to infrastructure.
Know the types of tornadoes that exist.
-Terrestrial bombardment. Two or more moving columns of air revolve around the same center.
-Waterspout. It is basically a tornado over a body of water. It appears as a large funnel-shaped cloud that tends to be weaker than the waterspout. It is a non-supercellular tornado.
-Multiple vortex tornado. It is relatively weak and short-lived. It is usually less strong than a classic tornado.
Did you know that a tornado can happen at any time, but there is a higher probability that it will happen between 3:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m.
Or that in the United States, tornadoes cause an average of 70 deaths and more than 1,500 injuries each year.
Know what Tornado Alley is, it is the name by which the area of the United States with a high incidence of tornadoes is known.
These phenomena, despite their intensity, are hardly detected by conventional means of meteorological observation.
HOW LONG DOES A TORNADO LAST?
A tornado can last from seconds to over an hour with high angular velocity. Most, however, last between 10 and 20 minutes, but they have a great destructive force.
HOW SHOULD I ACT BEFORE AND DURING A TORNADO?
Because tornadoes are difficult to predict, the room for maneuver to prepare or make decisions is short. For this reason, it is important to plan in advance, know the risks and what you can do in this type of emergency.