Tornadoes in the United States Essay Example for Free

Tornadoes in the United States EssayIntroduction From the natural definition of cleft usually connotes a vortex of phone line that rapidly rotates and bring forward its rival with the ground. The rapidly circulating winds atomic number 18 very much capable of causing equipment casualty vast damage as a natural disaster. A cruller crumb move all over a surface with few objects to be picked up and swirled about or you may not be able to tick all the way to the surface beneath a funnel cloud because of intervening hills, trees, or buildings. Usually, the manifestations of these funnel clouds atomic number 18 already considered as indications of passes, unless(prenominal) these manifestations are authorized not to contact the ground1. The stretching that ultimately leads to crack cocaine formation is due to the upward acceleration of the air at the base of the updraft2.Most manifestations of tornado enlarge extreme cyclonic force due to the effect called Corriolis, wh ich connotes a counterclockwise attempt of air in the labor unionern hemisphere piece of music the opposite teaching of airs movement in the south of equator. Anti-cyclonic tornadoes (clockwise-spinning in the northern hemisphere) fetch been observed3. Tornadoes most prominently manifest from the right side of air movement and the progress ahead from the storm affectionateness path as it touches the shores.In this discussion, the primary subject concerns with the come to passrence and formation of tornadoes. The ruminate tackles the principles comprising the formation of tornado in order to answer the main inquiry of the study. After which, the study analyzes the effects of tornado occurrence in the environment and the individuals in the perspective of its damaging effects. Lastly, the study covers the frequency of tornadoes in the United States and the most prominent parts in which tornadoes occur.DiscussionFormation of Tornadoes Although the process by which tornadoes form is not completely understood, scientific research has revealed that tornadoes usually form under certain types of atmospheric conditions. The technology and studies in predicting the tornadoes occurrences are presently utilized by live experts to eventually rule even a crude anticipation for tornadoes occurrences. Weather forecast do-nothing at least provide crude predictions for the occurrence of tornado, but this information can go inaccurate due to the wide scale of outside factors influencing the tornados characteristics4.However, even with continuous and vast studies being made to further recognize the behavior of these tornadoes, predicting the occurrence of support even with crude indications are still impossible5. Some predictions even fall into inaccuracy at fourth dimensions wherein those disciplines with less frequent tornadoes are being populated more than those demesnes with predictions of tornado occurrence but with little or no manifestation of the phenomeno n.Tornadoes, rather than being spread uniformly, as the field of study for solid body rotation, most of the vorticity and the rising slope within the interior of the tornado vortex tend to become concentrated within a narrow ring, vindicatory inside the radius of strongest winds. Under certain conditions, this ring of extremely high vorticity can break down into multiple vortices, whose signatures are clearly evident in the situations of aerial debris6. In fact, natures most violent storms are usually quite small and localized. They are generated, shaped and dominated by mighty winds that whirl or so a small area of extremely low blackjack, creating a revolving storm with the characteristic swirling, funnel-shaped clouds7. The easiest way to estimate the size of a tornado is by the size of the damage path. Usually, the reciprocal type of tornados path is from one to two miles wherein the largeness exceeds up to 50 yards. So far, the largest width the ever recorded accounts to one mile, while the smallest is considered 10 yards8. Tornado is formed and driven by a very low pressure winds present at its very core low pressure as its centre, which is often as much as 100mb discredit than in the surrounding air. This scenario creates an overly steep pressure gradient that sucks in surrounding air and generates high wind speeds. The usual speed of the wind is in excess of ccc km/h are commonly present in Tornadoes. Geostrophic winds blow clockwise rough tornadoes in the northern hemisphere and anticlockwise in the Southern hemisphere9.The widths of the tornadoes can alter during depending on the circulation of wind and other factors influencing their occurrences, because the size of the tornado can spay considerably during its lifetime. On other hand, the length of tornadoes path varies from the single stratum or the point of origin to more than 100 miles. The rotation in the tornadic supercell storm builds up gradually for a several hours, but the progr ession of the tornado itself usually occurs in much more speed than the usual expectation10. Typical tornado lifetimes are usually on the order of tens of minutes during which time move with the storm11. Most tornadoes involve a diameter of less than a few hundred meters. A narrow rotating column of air that blows somewhat a more or less vertical axis of low pressure and moves across the surface of the land is frequently described as a whirlwind12.The development of these Doppler radars provided a means for weather forecasters to at least obtain the status of characteristics, and event he chances of tornado for at least under circumstances. The National Weather Service has strategically rigid Doppler radars across the countrified which can detect air movement toward or out from the radar13. Detecting the progress of rotation within the tornadoes can enable the weather experts to determine and provide appropriate life-saving procedures.Most tornadoes eventually become surrounde d by cooler, less buoyant downdraft air a the flanking line or straighten flank gust front wraps around the mesocyclone, reminiscent of the way in which the heatless air wraps around an occluding extratropical cyclone. As the mature tornado and its associated mesocyclne weaken and die, a new mesocyclone may form on the gust front, setting the stage for the formation of second tornado14. Somehow, studies have arrived to the most frequent time rolls when tornadoes usually occur however, the accuracy of these time frames still vary according to other external factors, such as area, topographical location, climatical shifts, presence of storms, seasonal variations, etc. Tornadoes usually occur during late afternoon or early evening. They are most frequent during late spring or early summer15.A series of climatic cycles and transformations is thought to be the primary theory to support the ground basis for the formation of tornadoes. During its early phase, the initial event starts with the drying of cool air starts to meet up with the drying war air. In this sense, the air continuously overlaps with each other until humid air arises on the surface. Progressing to the next phase, the warmer air begins to settle in the lower altitudes in order to increase the temperature eversion, which comprises of warm, dry stratum above moist or humid air surface layer. Due to the continuous advection or the naiant airflow, the atmospheric changes under the temperature inversion continue to warm and moisturize. As the sun heats the air at the ground surface, it starts to ascend and cool, which then forms a large cumulonimbus clouds16.With tornados unpredictable character, tornadoes and the system for its formation are still being critically studied. So far, the studies have revealed the usual occurrence of tornado resides in isolated incidents or in great numbers along a storm front. In extreme cases, these tornadoes can even generate more than 300 miles (483 kilometers) p er hour and may travel over 200 miles the average tornado is much weaker and lasts for 5 to 10 minutes on the ground and traveling 2 to 5 miles17. A whirling mass of cloud and debris beneath a roiling sky is a truly awesome and frightening sight. The worm winds inside a tornado average between 100 and 150 miles per hour, but some storms generate winds in excess of 200 miles per hour18.After which, a cold front settles in within the temperature inversion and force the surface air up through it into the cool air above. In this phase, the growth of the clouds progress rapidly although substantial in form but does not extend above the tropopause. In this scenario, a cat valium stream is being produced, which moves air away from the top of the cloud and convection occurs beneath it, making the storm more intense19. After this phase, the tornado is likely now to develop most especially if the position and curves of the jet stream is in very favorable condition.In addition, for a tornado to form, these should be enough air to flow into the bottom of the storm, which usually coincide with the pursue hail. This initiates the descending of the cold air produced in the initial phase, which somehow help to stimulate convection current and energy transfers. Finally, tailing hail and descending cold air initiate the production and initiation of convection of currents and energy transfers. Static electricity is now produced, which consequently aids on the development of the vortex present in the tornados body20.Effects of Tornadoes on surround and People People and properties are usually threatened by the massive entrance of high wind speeds around the tornado, which tornadoes move across the ground. Many tornadoes move at speeds of between 150 and nearly 500 km causing massive damage in the area that it passes by. Fast-progressing tornadoes cannot be outrun, and quite a little caught in their path are generally advised to shelter or drive away at right angles to the nar row tornado track21.The intensity and duration of tornadoes greatly affect the rate of damage done by this disaster to the path it passes by and the environment to which it occurred. They have vast blasting impacts on the land in which they touch whether it is city, town, country, ocean or forest. The effects of tornadoes on forests are similar to that of hurricanes wherein the strong downward circulating motions of the wind alter the composition of forest stands22.In emphasizing tornadoes effects in financial losses of the community, approximately $5 cardinal a year (compared with $200 one thousand million for urban drought) is spent to provide and improve warning systems and to construct tornado shelters or storm cellars23. The government is ready to spend this amount of funds for the stoppage preparations in order to further warn their citizens of the coming natural phenomena. This is one of the primary reasons why the number of tornado-related deaths in these tornado-prone a reas tends to be lower than those with lesser risked areas. archetype time under the best conditions is not more than one hour ahead of the event.Tornadoes cause great damage they often cause total destruction where the touch the ground, because of the extremely strong winds and the powerful uplift is within them. They often follow quite well-defined paths along the ground, and this is evident in the trail of damage they leave behind including swathes cut through forest and narrow strips of buildings destroyed in residential areas24. On the other hand, although deaths from tornado have been reduced in recent years, the number is still relatively high, averaging about 120 a year. Economic damage from tornadoes averages about $125 million a year, as hostile to only $15 million for drought25.The tornadoes have been one of the most pernicious events in decades, killing forty-seven people, destroying 2,000 homes and causing about US $500 million worth of damage26. On the other hand, f rom one of the most prominent site of Tornado, Kansas, several tornados were estimated to have caused $2.5-5 million in keeping damage. Four deaths were caused by 484 tornadoes over the 52 year period (from 1950-2002) only for this area. In terms of tornadoes damaging potential, a primary tornadic direct hit on one of the bigger communities can cause much greater loss of life and property than in small country27.Areas of the U.S Being Hit the Most Tornadoes are the most violent and destructive disasters of the Earths atmosphere. About 200 tornadoes a year are recorded across the United States. They are even considered as the primary climatic hazards in central and eastern areas, and particularly in the valley of the Mississippi, which is most prominently known as the tornado alley28. In fact, during the years from 1920 to 1950, every country in Mississippi valley and those adjoining coastal plains of the Gulf of Mexico was touch by at least a dozen tornadoes that cause extreme pro perty damages and the crude death rate of 2000 people29.Although tornadoes occur in many areas of the world, the United States has more tornadoes than any other country, with an estimated 30% to 50% of the worlds total. Canada ranks as the second place in the occurrence of tornado with approximately 100 to 200 tornadoes per year30. In additional, tornadoes occurring in these areas tend to be more belligerent and deadly than those in other countries. Such scenario is because of the clashing of air masses east of the Rockies.The most obvious tornado alley extends from the plains of northwest Texas eastward into north Texas and then northward across Oklahoma, Kansas, and eastern Nebraska. A second tornado alley, called midwestern United States Alley, is located over most of Illinois and Indiana. Finally, federation Alley31 stretches eastward from Arkansas, Louisiana, and Texas through Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia. Dixie Alley also extends sec into Florida32. A portable Doppler radar measured a wind speed of 318 miles per hour in a tornado that struck Oklahoma City33 on whitethorn 3, I999.34 In this incident of tornado, the immense manifestation of tornado was not predicted accurately by the weather forecast during that point or at least, the news of its intensive manifestation arrived late, which caused the immense damage35.During April 26, 1991, one of the most prominent tornado occurrences in Oklahoma occurred near Red Rock. The wind standard for 286 miles per hour was incorporated within the storm that devastated parts of Red Rock Oklahoma. In an average year, more than a thousand tornadoes are likely to touch down across the United States36. However, it is fortunate for the community that weather analysts can provide advance warning for the coming or at least a crude prediction of tornado occurrence in their area. In this way, the public is able to prepare for the coming of tornadoes hence, reducing the damage this phenomenon can cause.Knowing that t hese Tornadoes run across predominantly during the afternoon and early evening, the exact ranges of time frames based on previous historical occurrence of tornadoes state 200P.M. until 700 P.M local time. On the other hand, the time wherein tornadoes usually show immense activity is from 500 P.M. to 600 P.M. Such time frame is very much evident in smaller alley or regions such as the Dixie Alley37. A broad swath from central Texas to eastern Nebraska comprises the heart of tornado alley, which extends southward through the Gulf States and eastward to the Ohio Valley. No other place in the world experiences more tornadoes than the state of matters heartland, although cracks are not confined to the Midwest and southern states38.In addition, the national tornado season is clearly from April through July however, tornado season in the United States never really begins or ends but is ongoing39. Most tornadoes tend to build up inside very large storms, and these are usually found in un stable environments in which wind speeds vary with height and where cool, dry air rests on top of warm, moist air, with a thin, stable layer separating the two air masses40, a condition similar to temperature inversion in other settings41. In the United States, those areas with high occurrences of tornadoes have relatively low rates of tornado-related deaths, partly because of variations in population density, but the provided proofs show a variation over time in the location of tornadoes, which is placing significant numbers of less well-prepared individuals and communities at risk. Death rates from tornado-related injuries in the United States are the highest among people living in mobile homes, the elderly (over 60 years of age) and people caught outside with no protection when the tornado passes by42.One of the most historical events that occurred in Pennsylvania was during 1998 wherein fifty-nine tornadoes, plus several waterspouts over the open waters of Lake Erie were counted for just one season. According to climatologist and weather analysts, the most damaging tornadoes that occurred within this area of Pennsylvania from 1865, 1896, 1944 and 1998 are only products of stronger western and southern storms that usually struck in late spring43.Conclusion As for the conclusion of the subject, tornadoes in the United States have indeed manifested in greatest terms wherein U.S has been considered as the top most destination for the occurrence of tornadoes. From the discussion of tornadoes, formation, it has been uncovered that the origin of these phenomenon are from the contacts of war and cold air that contradicts to form humid, moisture and temperature variance, which in the end, initiate static electricity that causes the formation of the vortex.From the discussion on the effects of tornadoes, it has been uncovered the main destruction caused by this event is on the property and physical aspect wherein significant economic cost decline are mainly affected especially for those occurring in larger communities. Lastly, the areas where tornadoes mostly occur are Nebraska, Oklahoma, Kansas, Texas, and those areas within the tornado alley or Mississippi.BibliographyAlexander, D. E. (2003). Natural Disasters. Springer.Barnes, P. L. (1999). The Oryx Guide to Natural History The Earth and All Its Inhabitants. Greenwood make Group.Burton et.al., I. (1993). The Environment as Hazard. Guilford Press.Essex, S. (2005). Rural Change and Sustainability Agriculture, the Environment and Communities. CABI make.Gelber, B. (2002). The Pennsylvania Weather Book. Rutgers University Press.Gunn, A. (2001). The Impact of Geology on the United States. Greenwood Publishing.Hagget, P. (2002). Encyclopedia of World Geography. Marshall Cavendish.Konvicka , T. (1999). Teachers Weather Sourcebook. Libraries Unlimited.Pack, C. C. (2001). The Environment Principles and Applications. Routledge.Tawrell, P. (2006). Camping Wilderness Survival The Ultimate open Book. Paul Tawrell.Wallace, J. M., Hobbs, P. B. (2006). Atmospheric Science An Introductory Survey. Academic Press.1 Tawrell, P. (2006). Camping Wilderness Survival The Ultimate Outdoors Book. Paul Tawrell. p.6742 In a typical supercell storm the rate of ascent w increases from near zero at the ground to 3 m s-1. Hence, the e-folding time T for the amplification of the vorticity is 300s (Wallace, J. M., Hobbs, P. B. (2006). Atmospheric Science An Introductory Survey. Academic Press. P.360).3 Tawrell, p.6744 Tawrell, p.6745 Tornadoes usually form when warm, humid air is sucked into a low-pressure cell. There it arrives into contact with a cold front accelerating towards it from the counter directions. The steep temperature gradient permits the tornado to facilitate along the squall line either in front of or along the cold front. In the United States, tornadoes are most common in the Mildwest and along the east coast (Park, C. C. (2001). The Environment Principles and Applications. Rou tledge. P.315)6 Wallace, Hobbs, p.3607 Powerful updraughts within increasing column of air provide the tornado its strong vertical progression, and the circulating form is induced by strong winds that are drawn into the low pressure center (Park, p.315).8 Tawrell, p.6749 Park, p.31510 Wallace, Hobbs, p.36011 On the other hand, non-supercell tornadoes form when a patch of boundary layer air with circulation about a vertical axis comes into vertical alignment with a vigorous convective-scale updraft. The source of the vorticity may be a gust front, a convergence line, or wind shear induced by flow around a topographical feature (Ibid, p.361)12 Tornadoes form over dry land, but when the funnel-shaped vortex comes into contact with a lake or sea it sucks up particles of water and whirls them around in a spiral pattern as a waterspout (Park, p.315).13 Tawrell, p.67414 Wallace, Hobbs, p.36015 Park, p.31516 Alexander, D. E. (2003). Natural Disasters. Springer. P.17217 The United States is the most tornado-prone country in the world, with the main characteristic of tornadoes that range from average to extreme. The usual area of occurrence relies in Great Plains or the Tornado Alleys (Barnes, P. L. (1999). The Oryx Guide to Natural History The Earth and All Its Inhabitants. Greenwood Publishing Group. P.55)18 Gelber, B. (2002). The Pennsylvania Weather Book. Rutgers University Press. P.13519 Alexander, p.17220 Ibid, p.17221 Park, p.31622 Tornadoes, by contrast, are intensive hazards that threaten about +0 million people living in the areas of higher tornado relative incidence in the Midwest, the Great Plains, and the Gulf States. Tornadoes are comparatively rare events with high energy outputs and arc highly localized, with a very rapid onset. Moreover, although between sextet and seven hundred tornadoes occur every year, the average path is quite small. There is little incentive, therefore, to invest in protective measures, since their likelihood of being necess ary in any one place is small and, given the force of a tornado, such measures are often not effective (Baumann and Sims, 1972 cited from Burton et.al., I. (1993). The Environment as Hazard. Guilford Press. p.42).23 Burton et.al. p.4224 Park, p.31725 Burton et.al. p.4226 Park, p.31627 Essex, S. (2005). Rural Change and Sustainability Agriculture, the Environment and Communities. CABI Publishing. P.17528 Americas known Tornado Alley or the Mississippi is the area with the most prominent occurrence of twister that entails great damage and destruction however, few periods see as much activity as on one night in mid May 1999, when seventy-six twisters ripped through Oklahoma, Nebraska, Kansas and Texas (Park, p.316)29 Hagget, P. (2002). Encyclopedia of World Geography. Marshall Cavendish. P.8430 Konvicka , T. (1999). Teachers Weather Sourcebook. Libraries Unlimited. P.20031 Tornado incidence increases in Dixie Alley in February. During the spring, tornadoes become more common farther we st and north, extending into Texas and the Tennessee Valley. By May and June, tornado frequency increases in the plains of Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Nebraska. In July, tornado frequency shifts 10 the Dakotas, the Upper Midwest, and the Great Lakes region while decreasing to a minimum in Dixie Alley. An interesting secondary peak is evident in November, particularly in Dixie Alley (Konvicka, p.200-201).32 Konvicka, p.20033 Ibid, p.20034 On the evening of 3 May 1999 the worst tornado of the century, as far as costs are concerned, touched down on Oklahoma City. It was the nations first billion-dollar one. It was not alone. Other parts of Oklahoma. the state that gets more tornadoes per square kilometer than anywhere else on earth, were hit with 65 of these storms on that resembling evening, all of them in areas close to Oklahoma City. Within a period of five hours 8,000 buildings were in partial or total ruin as the flowering of storms swept from southwest Oklahoma diagonally acro ss the state toward Wichita, Kansas (Gunn, A. (2001). The Impact of Geology on the United States. Greenwood Publishing.p.205)35 The difficulties involved in forecasting were evident on that bleak evening in May. The Storm Prediction Center (SPC), based at Norman. Oklahoma, issues bulletins every day, and on that mornings statement announced it as marvelous that any tornado would appear during the day. By early afternoon SPC raised its estimate to moderate. Not until close to 400 in the afternoon did SPC change its prediction to high riskand then only because a powerful computer had shown that storms were charging across the state (Ibid, 205-206).36 Gelber, p.13537 Konvicka, p.20038 Gelber, p.13539 Konvicka, p.20040If a weather system reaches this unstable mass, the status quo is break up The low-level air is forced upward, and a vertical vortex gradually takes shape as the warm air ascends, cools to the point of condensation, and then is triggered into faster ascent as the latest heat of condensation warms the surroundings (Gunn, p.206).41 Ibid, p.20642 Pennsylvania experiences an average number of eleven tornadoes annually, based on the statistical period of 1954 through 1999. However, during a ten-year period from 1989 to 1998, the average number of Pennsylvania tornadoes doubled to twenty-two . (Gelber, p.135)43 Ibid, p.135