A tornado is a wind that develops as a whirlwind.
A tornado is a whirlwind-like wind . The term is usually used as a synonym for hurricane , although this concept refers to the tropical cyclone that is characterized by circulation around a low pressure center with strong winds and abundant rain .
The tornado is a violent rotating column of moving air . This formation is in contact simultaneously with a cloud and with the earth , and can reach a speed of more than 480 kilometers per hour, with an extension of more than 1.5 kilometers.
Characteristics of a tornado
Among the most significant characteristics that can define a tornado are the one that usually takes the shape of a funnel , which has the particularity that it can be obscured by clouds of dust or smoke and that it can appear in a great variety of colors, it can even be transparent. .
Weaker tornadoes cause damage to trees and little else. The strongest tornadoes, on the other hand, are capable of uprooting homes from their foundations. Tornadoes have been recorded on every continent, with the exception of Antarctica . The area where tornadoes occur most frequently is located in the United States and is known as Tornado Alley (between the Rocky Mountains and the Appalachian Mountains ).
Tornado is usually used as a synonym for hurricane, although this second term refers to a tropical cyclone.
Some examples
There are many tornadoes that have left their unfortunate mark throughout history. However, among the strongest and most dangerous is, for example, the Tri-State tornado that occurred on March 18, 1925 . In the United States , and specifically in the area located between Missouri and Indiana , this phenomenon occurred that has gone down in the annals as the one that has traveled the longest distance, almost 325 kilometers , and also as the longest lasting, since it remained active for more than three hours .
In the same way, this tornado is known for being the one that has surpassed all records in terms of speed of movement, reaching 117 kilometers per hour .
Another of the most forceful and damaging tornadoes that have taken place over the centuries was the one that occurred on April 26, 1989 in Bangladesh . Daultipur-Salturia was the name given to the one that is classified as the one that has caused the most fatalities so far and about 1,300 people died as a result of it.
The Great Bend ( Kansas ) tornado that occurred in 1915 is also ranked, along with the previous ones, among the worst that have ever taken place.
Stages of a tornado
Various stages can be distinguished in the formation of a tornado. The initial vortex is the descending column of cold air that precedes a cloud and gives rise to another vortex , but of hot air. The funnel is the inverted cone that appears when moisture from the hot air column condenses.
There is a phenomenon similar to a tornado that occurs over water. This is the waterspout or waterspout , characterized by a current of wind that moves in a spiral and joins the clouds.