College Level Meteorology

Page 194

There is also a TORRO scale, which ranges from zero to 11, which is used in some parts of the world to assess tornado strength. These are assessed using photogrammetry, Doppler radar information, and ground swirl patterns after the fact. Together, these help assign severity levels and ratings to a given tornado. Tornadoes do not have to be visible to the naked eye but they often are anyway. There are two reasons for this, including the development of debris in the tornado and the formation of water droplets. These droplets occur because of condensation occurring as the tornado cools. The rapid rotation will cause a significant negative pressure situation within them. The Bernoulli principle indicates why this low pressure develops inside the spinning vortex. Funnel clouds are not necessarily tornadoes but most tornadoes are funnel clouds. Funnel clouds are rotating clouds of any type. They do not necessarily mean there are strong winds linked with them. The term "condensation cloud" is a rotational cloud found below a cumulonimbus or cumulus cloud. Most tornadoes start as funnel clouds that do not have strong ground winds. Once these winds become evident, they are called tornadoes. You may see tornadoes occurring as families or in outbreaks. One storm can have more than one tornado associated with it. These are called tornado families. If there is no break in tornado activities, you will call this a tornado outbreak. You call the situation a tornado outbreak sequence if several days in a row are linked to the development of tornadoes. These are also called extended tornado outbreaks.

TORNADO CHARACTERISTICS Most tornadoes have a characteristic funnel shape up to few hundred yards across. You may not see a tornado because of the dust or rain in the area. These become dangerous because they are so hidden. If there is some wind on the surface because of the vortex, it is called a tornado. You need surface winds of at least 40 miles per hour to call it a tornado. There are several tornado sizes and shapes to consider. Short, cylindrical tornadoes are called stovepipe tornadoes, while wide, short tornadoes are known as wedge tornadoes. 124


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Course Answers

28min
pages 321-340

Chapter Fourteen

2min
pages 319-320

Chapter Thirteen

1min
page 318

Chapter Eleven

1min
page 316

Chapter Twelve

1min
page 317

Chapter Ten

1min
page 315

Chapter Nine

1min
page 314

Chapter Eight

1min
page 313

Chapter Seven

1min
page 312

Chapter Three

1min
page 308

Chapter Six

1min
page 311

Chapter Five

1min
page 310

Chapter Four

1min
page 309

Chapter Two

1min
page 307

Summary

6min
pages 259-262

Chapter Fourteen: Questions

1min
pages 257-258

Key Points in This Chapter

1min
page 256

Rainbows

1min
page 254

Halos, Sundogs, and Sun Pillars

2min
pages 252-253

Cloud Iridescence

1min
page 255

What is Green Flash?

2min
page 251

Moon Phenomena and their Meaning

3min
pages 249-250

Chapter Thirteen: Questions

1min
pages 244-246

Key Points In This Chapter

0
page 243

Role of Wind and Inversions on Air Pollution

5min
pages 237-239

Sources of Air Pollution in the Atmosphere

1min
page 234

Key Points in this Chapter

0
page 228

Chapter Twelve: Questions

2min
pages 229-231

Global Warming and Future Expectations

3min
pages 226-227

Human-influenced Climate Changes

3min
pages 224-225

Ozone and its Effects

2min
pages 235-236

Temperature Extremes

1min
page 221

Wet Seasons

1min
page 220

Milankovitch Cycles

4min
pages 215-217

Chapter Eleven: Questions

1min
pages 209-211

Famous Hurricanes

1min
page 207

Naming Hurricanes

1min
page 206

Important Points in This Chapter

1min
page 208

Tracking Hurricanes

1min
page 205

Proper Tools for a Tropical Cyclone

1min
page 201

Chapter Ten: Questions

1min
pages 198-199

Life cycle of a Tornado

2min
pages 195-196

Key Points in this Chapter

0
page 197

Classification of Thunderstorms

3min
pages 187-188

Chapter Nine: Questions

1min
pages 183-185

Tornado Characteristics

1min
page 194

Key Points in this Chapter

0
page 182

Tropical Watches and Warnings

1min
page 181

Advisories related to Temperature

1min
page 180

Coastal or Lakeshore Hazard Warnings

1min
page 178

Marine Hazard Watches and Warnings

1min
page 179

Tornado and Thunderstorm Advisories

5min
pages 174-176

Winter-related Advisories

1min
page 173

Fire-Related Weather Emergencies

1min
page 177

Severe Weather Watches and Warnings

1min
page 172

Terms Related to Winter Weather

1min
page 171

Terms Related to Floods

1min
page 170

Chapter Eight: Questions

2min
pages 159-161

Important Points in this Chapter

1min
page 146

Mid-latitude Cyclone Storms

4min
pages 155-157

Chapter Seven: Questions

2min
pages 147-149

Weather Fronts

1min
page 154

Lake Effects

1min
page 140

El Niño and La Niña

2min
pages 144-145

Air Pockets and Eddies

3min
pages 138-139

Local Wind Systems

1min
page 137

How Air moves in the Atmosphere around the Globe

2min
pages 119-122

Chapter Six: Questions

2min
pages 131-133

Measuring Wind Direction and Wind Speed

1min
page 129

Types of Wind Instruments

1min
pages 127-128

Key Points from This Chapter

1min
page 130

Surface and Upper Air Charts

3min
pages 124-126

Wind Flow

6min
pages 114-118

Chapter Five: Questions

1min
pages 107-109

Key Points from This Chapter

0
page 106

Types of Precipitation

2min
pages 101-102

Moist Adiabatic Lapse Rate

0
page 92

What is the dry adiabatic lapse rate?

4min
pages 90-91

Measuring Precipitation

3min
pages 103-105

How Precipitation Forms

7min
pages 96-100

Clouds and Convection

4min
pages 93-95

What is the Atmosphere made of?

2min
page 73
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