Jeesh here we go again, bad storms coming

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Tinus. the size of a tornado does not go by location but by the weather. The pressure, the temperature, hot air meeting cold air. It just depends on the situation at the time. And from that link of yours where mike and josh work, Nashville is in the top 10 for tornados that are f3-f5. I'm glad I don't live around there anymore.

 

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I get it, I think. I thought the strenght of hurricanes was measured in windspeed. I meant something like earthquakes. In the region I live, these are rare. Maybe one small one (5 or 6 on Richters scale) in 25 years. There are places here on earth where a quake of 7 or higher are feld more than once a year. So on average they have more quakes than we do.

 

Thanks Mitzs! I'm not used to tornados, so maybe my question was not so intelligent, but I think I get it.

 

Your welcome Tinus. Tornados are awsum power of destruction and must always be respected for the power that they do yeild. I grew up in Iowa where I seen and felt first hand the damage that they can do. That is why storms like that scare the shite out of me. Most time joe will try and get home to me but there are times when he can't so I will talk to people online as long as I can, then I find a cubby hole to craw in till it is over.

 

There are some months in which there is absolutely no tornado activity... and some months that we see several pass through. There are seasons in which it is more likely that a tornado will develop... but it's a pretty random occurrence - unlike hurricanes, they appear without warning.

 

How do your dogs react to those winds?

 

OK, I understand that the weather conditions (warm air raising over cold air and the moist air from sea) have an immens effect on tornados. Most likely the are far les frequent during winter.
I did not know there is a differense between tornados and hurricanes. Could you explain the differense to me?

 

Well if we get high winds i get to play with my stihl chainsaw.
If it snows i get to go off roading in a 4x4.
If it rains.............................................................................................................................................i get wet!

 

There are no seas around here Tinus. It is cold air meeting warm air rapidly that is part of the cause for them. Here this will explain better then I can

http://www.spc.noaa.gov/faq/tornado/

Hurricanes are made in the ocean. The temperature has to be so warm for it to start. This is where your moist air from the seas come in. Here is one for the hurricanes. Hurricanes will blow themselves out on land. However, depending on how bad the hurricane can be very devistating when it comes on land and then there are the storm surges to contend with afterwards.

http://www.aoml.noaa.gov/hrd/tcfaq/A16.html

 

Not where we lived. I don't know really about anywhere else though. I do know it took a barn down in the next county over.

 

No idea... there likely is a pattern, but I cannot detect it with my untrained mind. We've had two or three bad nights the past month or two! To be honest... that's quite a bit of activity.

Hurricanes: ocean-based
Tornados: land-based

Hurricanes: huge!
Tornados: small - usually less than a mile across. Size is not indicative of strength; large tornadoes CAN be weak, and small tornadoes CAN be strong.

Hurricanes: last a long time
Tornados: last for a few miles, then dissipate

Hurricanes: slow-moving - 10-20 mph forward, generally slower wind speeds (Category 5 hurricane has 155+ mph winds)
Tornados: fast-moving - 40+ mph forward, generally faster wind speeds (Category F5 tornado has winds from 261-218 mph, and the mythical F6 tornado has 319+ mph winds)

Hurricanes: can be destructive over a large area
Tornadoes: can be even MORE destructive, but over a smaller area

And... most importantly...

Hurricanes: can be planned for days in advance. You can run away from a hurricane.
Tornadoes: appear without warning. You've barely got time to run to a basement or interior room.

 

Glad your safe Mitzs, just seen the news on CNN about the floods in COLUMBUS, Ohio. Wow that looks bad, 14 people dead from a few days of rain!




Source

 

I'm glad your safe and sound again Mitzs, storms freak me out too.

 

Yeah it is always really bad when there is lost of life. Homes you can rebuild. Ohio is not near me. Being on a mountain I do not have to worry about much flooding even though there is a river across the road.

 

Whow, that's a lot of info in those links. It will take some time to read it all, but things are getting clearer now. Thanks again Mitzs!

 

Ok, Thank you again for the info. Together with the info from Mitzs (which I still have to read all) I think I get the picture. Am I right to say that tornados are local and often are born from (massive) thunderstorms (supercells)?

 

Coincidentally I was watching a locally produced DVD called 36hrs In September the other night which documented the infamous hurricane Ivan that hit the islands in 2004.

What was shocking was the footage captured by the locals during and after the hurricane. It's incredible to see what a C5 hurricane can do, one of the scenes showed giant yachts strewn all over the road. These have to have been plucked out of the water and dumped several hundred yards inland!

Even today as you make your way around the island the evidence of 2004 is still apparent. One notorious spot in South Sound is where an entire apartment complex once stood, all that is left now is the foundations. When Ivan hit the complex was ripped up from the ground and found 36hrs later (after the all clear) over a mile away inland! Lots of the local bars have markers on the walls showing you how high the water reached in some spots, very surreal stuff.

Having only 'survived' the great storm of 1987 in the UK, I can safely say I hope I never have to experience anything like hurricane Ivan, or any tornadoes for that matter!

edit: Found a couple of photos from Ivan in the Cayman Islands.

 

Tinus,

If you're interested in seeing the destruction that can be caused by tornadoes, check out this series of aerial photographs of Greensburg, Kansas from last year.

http://www.kansas.com/static/slides/050507tornadoaerials/

The last I heard was that eight people lost their lives in this one. Considering the entire town was pretty much destroyed, I'd say that was pretty good odds.

 

I also found an article from a local station about the storms and flooding that resulted.

http://www.kctv5.com/weather/15664806/detail.html

There are a few severe weather videos that show some of the resulting damage. They've also got a link to a tornado guide that includes a bit of an explanation on the formation of tornadoes and some other interesting statistics.

 

Yes, they are local. The thunderstorms don't have to be massive, but massive ones do tend to generate a lot of activity.