Cloe+Hamby

 //Tornadoes//
This is a tornado. It looks pretty from this point of view, but tornadoes are actually a very, very dangerous storm. Though from a distance, a tornado looks very peaceful, it most definitely is not. During one year's time, 800 tornadoes are reported with about 80 deaths and 1,500 injuries. Individual tornadoes can

[[image:http://www.flatrock.org.nz/topics/environment/assets/tornado_and_lighting.jpg width="290" height="390" align="right"]]
 cause millions of dollars in damage, wiping out entire neighborhoods! Take that times the 800 tornadoes reported! They don't seem so peaceful now, eh?

**__What is a tornado?__** Tornadoes are violent rotating clomuns of air. A severe thunderstorm is the result of warm, moist air clashing with eastern cold fronts. These are the storms that produce heavy winds, hail, and tornadic activity. Tornadoes earlier in the year often have to do with strong frontal systems that form in the middle of the country. Tornadoes are known to occur with tropical storms and/or hurricanes that pass over the states during spring and summer. media type="custom" key="5995039"  **__How does a tornado form?__** Warm air travels upward at a fast pace, while the cold air stays down by the ground. When winds from two different directions collide they start to go in a circular motion thus forming the way the tornado spins. The upward winds make the vertical shape of the tornado, and the funnel reaches the Cumulus clouds thus creating the whole tornado. I learned all of this from: [|**Tornadoes....Nature's Most Violent Storm**]

==== ====  Tornadoes can be defined as weak, strong, and violent. A tornado can be very dangerous. Some tornadoes can produce winds that reach 300mph at the highest. These types of winds can make automobiles become airborne, remove houses from their foundation, launch small object that can become very deadly, and break windows causing glass to fly through the air. The most dangerous part about a tornado is the flying debris. The debris that's flying around is very dangerous and can hit somebody, knocking them out or even possibly killing them. This **Fujita Damage Chart** is very helpful! Take a look! 
 * __What damage do tornadoes cause?__ **

My Own Little Tornado Chart
 * ~ Types Of Tornadoes ||~ Appearance of the Tornado ||~ Wind Speeds Recorded ||
 * = Weak tornadoes ||= thin, rope-like appearance ||= 110 mph winds recorded ||
 * = Strong tornadoes ||= larger funnel shaped cloud ||= 110 to 200 mph winds recorded ||
 * = Violent tornadoes ||= massive funnel shaped cloud ||= 200+ mph winds recorded ||

**__Staying safe during a tornado__** Here are some tips on how to stay safe during a tornado.. some sort of shelter such as an interior room, basement, or bathtub. and the back of your neck as much as possible. Tornado Safety at Home and School
 * Have a first aid kit ready for any disaster.[[image:http://www.modernmayhem.com/images/pw_tornado_still.jpg width="384" height="309" align="right" caption="A tornado rips apart a flimsy barn."]]
 * If a warning is issued during a storm, get into
 * Stay away from windows!
 * Do NOT seek shelter under bridges, gymnasiums, pass ways, and malls.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 110%;">If no shelter is available while driving, lay flat in a ditch, covering your head

__**Wrapping it up...**__ An F5 tornado is the strongest tornado on record, but the future has yet to impress us. Scientists are always trying to lengthen the time of an already 13-minute forewarning. You'd think 13 minutes is enough time to save your lives, but think if it were a twenty minute warning. It would provide enough time to get to a neighbors house, or get people off the roads and save many lives. Hopefully in the near future scientists can find a way to do so, because preventing a tornado would definitely not be easy, but it would save hundreds of lives each year.

Links--


 * <span style="color: #f00000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 110%;">http://ww2010.atmos.uiuc.edu/%28Gh%29/guides/mtr/svr/torn/home.rxml
 * <span style="color: #f00000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 110%;">http://www.spc.noaa.gov/faq/tornado/f-scale.html
 * <span style="color: #f00000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 110%;">http://www.nssl.noaa.gov/edu/safety/tornadoguide.html
 * <span style="color: #f00000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 110%;">http://climate.ok.gov/tornadosafety/homeandschool/default.html