© Lorem ipsum dolor sit Nulla in mollit pariatur in, est ut dolor eu eiusmod lorem 2014
Weather Glossary
Tornado’s and Waterspouts
A tornado is a rotating funnel shaped cloud that extends from a Thunderstorm to the ground. When the
funnel hits water it’s called a Waterspout. The winds within a tornado can reach 300 mph. The damage
paths can be up to a mile wide and possibly up to 50 miles long.
Rain or cloud may hide the Tornado or they maybe clearly
visible. It’s possible for Tornado’s to appear transparent until
dust and debris is collected or a cloud forms within the
structure.
The size of a tornado varies it’s possible that some maybe
larger than a mile wide. The forward speed of a tornado
maybe nearly zero but may even reach speeds of 70 mph.
While the US is one place most people think of when talking about Tornado’s the UK actually has more
per square mile than the USA. An average 30 Tornado’s occur in the UK every year but these are much
weaker than US equivalents.
A tornado is only formed when it hits the ground. If it doesn’t
it’s called a funnel cloud. The picture above from the Metro
shows a funnel cloud over the north Midlands.
However despite being less powerful than the US equivalents
they can still do a fair amount of damage. The picture left
courtesy of the BBC shows the damage that happened in
Birmingham 2005. This was an F2 Tornado which caused 40
million pounds of damage.
Research by Manchester University produced the following map of UK Hot spots.
The power of a Tornado is measured by the Enhanced Fujita Scale
EF-0 Enhanced Fujita Scale estimated wind speeds: 65 to 85 mph. Typical Observations: Light damage. Peels surface off some roofs; some damage to gutters or siding; branches broken off trees; shallow-rooted trees pushed over. EF-1 Enhanced Fujita Scale estimated wind speeds: 86 to 110 mph. Typical Observations: Moderate damage. Roofs severely stripped; mobile homes overturned or badly damaged; loss of exterior doors; windows and other glass broken. EF-2 Enhanced Fujita Scale estimated wind speeds: 111 to 135 mph. Typical Observations: Considerable damage. Roofs torn off well-constructed houses; foundations of frame homes shifted; mobile homes completely destroyed; large trees snapped or uprooted; light- object missiles generated; cars lifted off ground. EF-3 Enhanced Fujita Scale estimated wind speeds: 136 to 165 mph. Typical Observations: Severe damage. Entire stories of well-constructed houses destroyed; severe damage to large buildings such as shopping malls; trains overturned; trees debarked; heavy cars lifted off the ground and thrown; structures with weak foundations blown away some distance. EF-4 Enhanced Fujita Scale estimated wind speeds: 166 to 200 mph. Typical Observations: Devastating damage. Whole frame houses Well-constructed houses and whole frame houses completely levelled; cars thrown and small missiles generated. EF-5 Enhanced Fujita Scale estimated wind speeds: Over 200 mph. Typical Observations: Incredible damage. Strong frame houses levelled off foundations and swept away; automobile-sized missiles fly through the air in excess of 100 m (109 yd); high-rise buildings have significant structural deformation; incredible phenomena will occur. In the UK there is a research group called Torro The TORnado and Storm Research Organisation who will be able to provide more information.. There web page can be found here http://www.torro.org.uk/
© Lorem ipsum dolor sit Nulla in mollit pariatur in, est ut dolor eu eiusmod lorem 2014
Weather Glossary
Tornado’s and Waterspouts
A tornado is a rotating funnel shaped cloud that extends from a Thunderstorm to the
ground. When the funnel hits water it’s called a Waterspout. The winds within a tornado
can reach 300 mph. The damage paths can be up to a mile wide and possibly up to 50
miles long.
Rain or cloud may hide the Tornado or they maybe
clearly visible. It’s possible for Tornado’s to appear
transparent until dust and debris is collected or a
cloud forms within the structure.
The size of a tornado varies it’s possible that some
maybe larger than a mile wide. The forward speed
of a tornado maybe nearly zero but may even
reach speeds of 70 mph.
While the US is one place most people think of when talking about Tornado’s the UK
actually has more per square mile than the USA. An average 30 Tornado’s occur in the UK
every year but these are much weaker than US equivalents.
A tornado is only formed when it hits the ground.
If it doesn’t it’s called a funnel cloud. The picture
above from the Metro shows a funnel cloud over
the north Midlands.
However despite being less powerful than the US
equivalents they can still do a fair amount of
damage. The picture left courtesy of the BBC
shows the damage that happened in Birmingham 2005. This was an F2 Tornado which
caused 40 million pounds of damage.
Research by Manchester University produced the following map of UK Hot spots.
The power of a Tornado is measured by the Enhanced Fujita Scale
EF-0 Enhanced Fujita Scale estimated wind speeds: 65 to 85 mph. Typical Observations: Light damage. Peels surface off some roofs; some damage to gutters or siding; branches broken off trees; shallow-rooted trees pushed over. EF-1 Enhanced Fujita Scale estimated wind speeds: 86 to 110 mph. Typical Observations: Moderate damage. Roofs severely stripped; mobile homes overturned or badly damaged; loss of exterior doors; windows and other glass broken. EF-2 Enhanced Fujita Scale estimated wind speeds: 111 to 135 mph. Typical Observations: Considerable damage. Roofs torn off well-constructed houses; foundations of frame homes shifted; mobile homes completely destroyed; large trees snapped or uprooted; light-object missiles generated; cars lifted off ground. EF-3 Enhanced Fujita Scale estimated wind speeds: 136 to 165 mph. Typical Observations: Severe damage. Entire stories of well-constructed houses destroyed; severe damage to large buildings such as shopping malls; trains overturned; trees debarked; heavy cars lifted off the ground and thrown; structures with weak foundations blown away some distance. EF-4 Enhanced Fujita Scale estimated wind speeds: 166 to 200 mph. Typical Observations: Devastating damage. Whole frame houses Well-constructed houses and whole frame houses completely levelled; cars thrown and small missiles generated. EF-5 Enhanced Fujita Scale estimated wind speeds: Over 200 mph. Typical Observations: Incredible damage. Strong frame houses levelled off foundations and swept away; automobile-sized missiles fly through the air in excess of 100 m (109 yd); high- rise buildings have significant structural deformation; incredible phenomena will occur. In the UK there is a research group called Torro The TORnado and Storm Research Organisation who will be able to provide more information.. There web page can be found here http://www.torro.org.uk/
© Lorem ipsum dolor sit Nulla in mollit pariatur in, est ut
dolor eu eiusmod lorem 2014
Weather Glossary
Tornado’s and Waterspouts
A tornado is a rotating funnel shaped cloud that extends from a
Thunderstorm to the ground. When the funnel hits water it’s called
a Waterspout. The winds within a tornado can reach 300 mph. The
damage paths can be up to a mile wide and possibly up to 50 miles
long.
Rain or cloud may hide the
Tornado or they maybe
clearly visible. It’s possible
for Tornado’s to appear
transparent until dust and
debris is collected or a
cloud forms within the
structure.
The size of a tornado varies it’s possible that some maybe larger
than a mile wide. The forward speed of a tornado maybe nearly
zero but may even reach speeds of 70 mph.
While the US is one place most people think of when talking about
Tornado’s the UK actually has more per square mile than the USA.
An average 30 Tornado’s occur in the UK every year but these are
much weaker than US equivalents.
A tornado is only formed
when it hits the ground. If
it doesn’t it’s called a
funnel cloud. The picture
above from the Metro
shows a funnel cloud over
the north Midlands.
However despite being less powerful than the US equivalents they
can still do a fair amount of damage. The picture left courtesy of
the BBC shows the damage that happened in Birmingham 2005.
This was an F2 Tornado which caused 40 million pounds of
damage.
Research by Manchester University produced the following map of
UK Hot spots.
