Dakota+Dully

**Tornadoes**
Tornadoes are a dangerous, deadly, and violent rotating column of air. **What** **causes tornadoes?** Thunderstorms appear in warm, moist air prior to eastward-moving cold fronts. Occasionally, two tornadoes might form at once. Most tornadoes tend to look like a narrow funnel, a few hundred yards across, with a small cloud of debris near the ground. Tornadoes appear in a wide range of colors, depending on where they occur. **Where do tornadoes occur?** The conditions that lead to the formation of tornadoes are most often met in the central and southern U.S., where warm, humid air collides with cool, dry air from the Rockies and Canada. **Preparing for a tornado:** Develop a plan for you and your family. Find a place where you and your whole family could meet if a tornado was occurring in your area. It could be your basement unless you don't have a basement, otherwise you could go into a center hallway. In a vehicle, drive in a right angle away from the storm movement.

Funnel Clouds
A **funnel cloud** is a funnel-shaped cloud of thick water droplets, related to a rotating column of air and extending from the base of a cloud but not reaching the ground. If and when a funnel cloud reaches the ground, it becomes a tornado. If anyone is to spot a funnel cloud, the best thing to do would to find shelter immediately. A funnel cloud is noticeable.

Damage/ Aftermath
A typical tornado has winds up to 110 mph. During an EF0 well-built buildings or structures are usually just affected by broken windows, minor damage to the roofs or chimneys. Trees may have a few tree branches missing or may be uprooted depending on how shallow their roots are. Billboards or signs may also be knocked down.

[[image:_MG_0319.jpg]]
The picture above is the damage caused by a tornado. ^^^ EF1 Damage to some mobile homes and other structures become significant. Many vehicles are often pushed off of the road. Permanent structures can have major damage to their roofs.

[[image:300px-F1_tornado_damage_example.jpg width="477" height="279"]]
The above picture is the damage after an EF1 tornado. ^^^ EF2 These are stronger than most tropical cyclones. Structures suffer from roof loss and collapse of outer walls. However mobile homes, are almost completely destroyed. Vehicles are lifted off the ground and smaller, lighter objects can be thrown like missiles.

[[image:TRNADO.jpg]]
^^^This picture is the aftermath of an EF2 tornado. EF3 EF3 damage is a serious risk to the life of a human being. Few parts of affected buildings are the only thing left standing. Also, well-built structures lose their inner and outer walls. Cars are lifted off the ground and thrown for a great amount of distance. Wooded areas suffer from almost total loss of undergrowth.

[[image:EF3.jpg]]
^^^This picture is the damage caused by an EF3 tornado.

LINKS--->
www.nssl.noaa.gov/edu/safety/tornadoguide.html http://jacksonville.com/news/2009-05-29/story/how_to_prepare_for_a_tornado