Tornadoes
What are Tornadoes?Tornadoes are violent rotations of wind that are shaped like a funnel and come down from a cumulonimbus cloud. Texas has the exact conditions needed for super cell tornadoes to form, causing many tornadoes every year. Not only that, Texas experiences numerous hurricanes, which lead to more tornadoes. For example, Hurricane Beulah in 1967 spawned 115 tornadoes in Texas alone! Tornadoes are extremely dangerous, with wind speeds ranging from less than 110 mph to over 300 mph and can destroy all man-made structures and a lot of nature.
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Formation of Tornadoes
Water evaporates and rises to the troposphere, forming a cumulonimbus cloud. As more water evaporates, it adds to the cumulonimbus cloud, making an updraft of warm air. If a downdraft of cool air collides with it, then they both become unstable and create a rotation of air that spins faster and faster as time passes. Eventually, a vortex of rapidly spinning air called a mesocyclone is formed as the warm air and cold air spin around each other. The mesocyclone is about 2 to 6 miles wide, and gets wider and wider over time.
Effects of Tornadoes on the Environment
There are many effects of tornadoes on the environment. Some are positive while others are negative, and still others are a mix of
both.
both.
Tornadoes...
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