Tornadoes Tornadoes are the most dangerous storms that nature creates. It is important that you take these natural disasters very seriously. There are many different levels of severity that a tornado can have. Some tornadoes just have strong winds but other levels can be deadly. Usually, a tornado will start from a strong thunderstorm. You can recognize a tornado because of the rotational, funnel shape clouds that appear. Tornadoes have the ability to reach a maximum speed of 300 miles per hour. This is pretty fast! In fact, if a car were traveling down a highway it would have to go at least five times as fast as it normally would to catch a tornado. Until a tornado hits the ground there is a lot of wind and flying debris but once the tornado lands it will be able to destroy anything in its path. Depending on the tornado, the amount of damage that is created can hit as much as one mile of area every second it moves. If you are wondering if you are going to see a tornado in your lifetime the answer is, you might. It's possible that you will see a tornado because every state in the United States could have a tornado. Unlike hurricanes and earthquakes all states are at risk of having a tornado. However, depending on where you live, the likelihood of a tornado may be greater than in another state. Some states are in a place called Tornado Alley. This is an area of the United States that is more likely than other places to have tornadoes. While other states can have a tornado, these states are the most likely to have them on a regular basis. The following states are all a part of Tornado Alley: Arkansas Iowa Kansas Louisiana Minnesota Nebraska North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma South Dakota Texas Tornadoes can occur at anytime of the year but it is highly unlikely for them to occur out of the standard tornado season. From March to August (the spring and summer seasons) the chances are the best for a tornado to occur. Tornadoes can occur at random if the weather is right. All it takes is hot and cold air meeting. If this happens then chances are good for a tornado. This is one of the reasons that tornadoes are so hard to predict. In most cases you will only have a few minutes to take shelter before a tornado will strike. In order to understand how dangerous a tornado is, weather specialists created a scale to measure how much possible damage is expected. This scale looks at the speed that the tornado travels and the size of the tornado. The scale is known as the Fujita scale. The scale moves from 0 to 5. Zero is the least amount of damage and is sometimes referred to as funnel clouds. There is not much damage expected with these. The highest level is the F5 which is the most destructive type of tornado. 1
The Fujita Scale As you can see from the picture, the smaller the number on the scale, the smaller the tornado is likely to be. The Fujita Scale looks at the wind speed to help determine the level of tornado you are dealing with. The scale is as follows: F0 40-72 mph F1 73-112 mph F2 113-157 mph F3 158-205 mph F4 207-260 mph F5 261-318 mph A Tornado Watch is issued in an area when the weather could be right for a tornado to happen. During a watch it does not mean that a tornado has been spotted. It doesn't even mean that it has to be raining outside. All it means is that the conditions make it possible to consider a tornado could occur. A Tornado Warning means that a tornado has been sighted and you need to take shelter immediately. If there is a tornado coming you should take shelter in an area without windows. The wind is so strong during a tornado that often windows will break and the glass will shatter everywhere. The best place to take cover in if you are at home would be a basement if you have one or a bathroom. If you have a room without windows you might be safer there as well. If you know a tornado might be coming you should tell your parents or the adult you are with. There are many things that you can do to help make the dangerous situation a safer one. Safety precautions are very important and there are many things that you can do. For example, your family should have a safety plan in case danger should occur. If you have a storm cellar, basement, or a special room you should all plan routes through the house to make sure you can all get their safely from every room and outside the house. This way if there is a tornado you will be less likely to panic. 2
Tornadoes Worksheet 1.,, and are three of the states located in Tornado Alley. 2. A tornado is another word for a funnel cloud? A. True B. False 3. Tornados are able to travel how fast? A. 100 mph B. 200 mph C. 300 mph D. All of the above 4. Tornadoes are the most dangerous storm. A. True B. False 5. The scale that tells us how dangerous a tornado will be is known as the A. Fuji Scale B. Fulltime Scale C. Funnel Scale D. Fujita Scale 3
Matching 6. F0 A. 150 mph 7. F1 B. 310 mph 8. F2 C. 45 mph 9. F3 D. 208 mph 10. F4 E. 110 mph 11. F5 F. 175 mph Essay 12. Do you have a safety plan in your family that deals with tornado warnings? If not, what would the plan be if you have a chance to design it yourself? 4
Answer Key 1. Any three of the following states - Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas 2. A 3. D 4. A 5. D 6. C 7. E 8. A 9. F 10. D 11. B 12. Answers will vary 5