I would like to dwell in more detail on such a natural phenomenon as a tornado. About a thousand tornadoes occur in the United States every year. It is difficult to say exactly, since some tornadoes occur in sparsely populated areas and therefore are not recorded. America is definitely the leading country in the number of tornadoes, far ahead of other countries in the world.
A tornado is an atmospheric vortex that arises in a cumulonimbus cloud and spreads down, often to the very surface of the earth, in the form of a cloud arm or trunk with a diameter of tens and hundreds of meters. The energy of a tornado with a radius of 1 km and average speed 70 m/s is comparable to the reference energy atomic bomb. A whirlwind formed over the sea is called a tornado, and on land it is called a tornado.
Huge in size, these atmospheric vortices destroy everything in their path. There is a lot of reliable evidence when a tornado lifts people and animals, even small houses, high into the air. When a tornado goes along the ground, it resembles a huge vacuum cleaner - everything that comes in its way is pulled into its belly. When a vortex passes through bodies of water, the bottom is often exposed.
Reasons for frequent tornadoes
Frequent tornadoes in the US are caused by collisions air masses with greatly varying temperatures. Warm moist air with Gulf of Mexico collides in the United States with cold air from Canada and dry air from the Rocky Mountains. Under such conditions, a large number of thunderstorms occur, which carry the threat of tornadoes. The most destructive and deadly tornadoes form under huge cumulonimbus clouds. These clouds often bring large hail, squally winds, severe thunderstorms and downpours, as well as tornadoes.
Although tornadoes in the United States occur in the most different regions- both in the lowland regions of America and on east coast USA and on the Florida peninsula, are still the most frequent and strong tornadoes occur in the so-called Tornado Alley, conditional boundaries which covers 13 central states of the country. In the cities of these states there are special sirens warning of the appearance of a tornado, and houses are equipped with tornado shelters even during construction.
Tornadoes in America
To the south, in Florida's Florida Keys, waterspouts emerge from the sea almost every day from May to mid-October, earning the area the nickname "waterspout country." In 1969, 395 such vortices were recorded here.
Statistically, a tornado can last from a few minutes to an hour or more. But most of which there are no more than ten minutes. The record for the lifetime of a tornado can be considered the Mattoon tornado, which on May 26, 1917, covered 500 km across the United States in 7 hours and 20 minutes, killing 110 people. To others famous case The tornado is the Tristate tornado, which passed through the states of Missouri, Illinois and Indiana on March 18, 1925, traveling 350 km in 3.5 hours, killing 695 people.
The largest number of tornadoes in a short period of time was observed on April 3 and 4, 1974. 147 tornadoes swept through 11 American states and one more in Canada. Seven tornadoes were classified as F5 and another 23 were rated as F4 on the Fujita scale.
The Fujita scale is a system for classifying the power of tornadoes developed by an American Japanese origin Theodore Fujita. It was first introduced in 1971 and relatively recently, in 2006, modified. It has six degrees - from F0 to F5. Tornadoes classified as F5 in power occur rarely and cause total destruction.
Here's what the American newspaper Reader's Digest wrote about the 1974 tornado.
“On that terrible day, April 3, 1974, at 3:55 p.m., the teletypes of the weather service in Louisville tapped out a bulletin warning Kentucky residents of the danger: “A tornado is being reported at approximately 3:45 p.m. near Hardinsburg, three miles from Irvington. It's moving northwest at about 50 miles per hour.".
However it was not big tornado, spotted by several observers. And the worst tornado described an arc, passing Irvington, and, rapidly picking up speed, hit Brandenberg with all its force. Few of the 1,700 residents of this quiet town heard the warning broadcast on radio and television.
Some noticed from afar the approach of a black funnel-shaped cloud. Others were struck by a train-like roar when trouble was just minutes away. At 4:10 a.m., a tornado hit the city, sweeping away almost half of its residential buildings, administrative and commercial buildings, crushing cars like grapes.
Tornadoes are the brainchild of hurricanes
It was one of more than a hundred tornadoes spawned by hurricanes that raged across eleven states in the American South and Midwest that gray, rainy afternoon and evening. Moving at a speed of one hundred to three hundred miles per hour, the unprecedented strength of the whirlwinds carried away 329 people and injured over four thousand. Twenty-four thousand families were affected to one degree or another, and the damage caused was estimated at seven hundred million dollars.
The town of Guin in Alabama was literally wiped off the face of the earth, killing twenty-three people - one for every hundred inhabitants. In Monticello, Indiana, a tornado hit the downtown area. It roared across Lake Freeman. Ripping four sections off the concrete supports railway bridge, lifted them into the air, dragged them about forty feet and threw them into the lake. Each weighed one hundred and fifteen tons!
On the outskirts of Hanover, Indiana, Sylvia Humes saw “three craters” fifteen feet above the ground. “They roared like a huge coffee grinder. The largest tornado smashed a nearby trailer to pieces. “I hid in the closet, expecting death every second,” she said later. “He was already above me.” I heard a deep roar and some kind of smacking sound. The house seemed to be breathing, the walls of the closet sagged, now in, now out, now in, now out.”
Elsewhere, a whirlwind lifted a house and its three occupants into the air, rotated it 360 degrees and brought it down to the ground safe and sound. Then the same tornado swept down the river, raising huge columns of water and spinning tree trunks in the water like a giant washing machine. Along the way, it struck a power plant, twisting thousands of feet of pipe into knots.
The most violent tornadoes
The tornado passed through the village of Bear Branch, Indiana. Looking out the window, Halbert Walston saw a black cloud and shouted to his wife: “Everyone to the bathroom!” Alice and the four children rushed to the bathroom. Walston took a huge leap in the same direction. The tornado demolished the wall of the bathroom, dragging Walston through it, and blew his wife and children out into the street. Walston flew a good forty feet. As he fell backwards, he saw his five-year-old daughter, Amy, hovering over an apple tree seventy-five feet from the house.
In Xenia, a city of twenty-seven thousand people, local radio and television stations were able to warn residents of the danger in just fifteen minutes. The tornado that hit Xenia was the most violent. About half the city was destroyed or seriously damaged. Thirty-four people were killed, over one thousand six hundred were injured.
“During the lesson,” says a teacher at one of the American schools, “I heard a deafening roar. The wind blew suddenly monstrous strength. Before I had time to take the children to safe place, as all the glass in the classroom flew out. The children rushed to me. But then it was as if invisible wings caught them and various items, who were in the class. We all rose into the air. Children and the wreckage of the school swirled around me. I lost consciousness"
The evening, cold and rainy, covered the ruins of the city. People wandered among them. Some phones continued to work deep under the piles of rubbish. Homeless dogs howled. In the school building, hastily turned into a shelter for victims, old people sat silently, in stupor, having suddenly lost everything for which they had worked all their lives. They didn’t want to eat or sleep, they didn’t want to start all over again.”
The record year for the number of victims (545 people) from tornadoes over the past 75 years was 2011. This video is a compilation of the terrifying tornadoes of 2011.
Yes, nature is not to be trifled with.
And again the weather in the States is not good. Locals are already accustomed to the fact that every summer they have to rebuild the roofs of their houses and repair their cars against hail. But the whole world is shocked by these destructions. After every storm they find dead people, hundreds end up in hospitals, thousands refuse without a stable over their heads. The scale is shocking!
The storm and tornado left more than 11 thousand residents of Tulsa, Oklahoma, without power. Associated Press reports.
A tornado hit the city on Sunday night at 01.00 local time (09.00 Moscow time). At least 30 people were injured due to the disaster. According to preliminary data, no one was killed when the tornado passed through the city.
On at the moment employees emergency services American state It is reported that more than 9 thousand residents of the region remain without electricity. The tornado was so raging in the area that electrical poles, roofs of private houses, kiosks and trees were under its destructive force. Looking at general condition city of Tulsa, you can simply be horrified. The picture resembles the consequences of a bomb explosion. There is no official data on the dead yet, writes the source vistanews.ru.
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || ).push());
“This has never happened before - we will have to spend two monthly budgets on restoration,” the governor of Oklahoma complained to reporters.
Read also on the topic:
What pensioners need to know to receive their pension on time in January 2018 Promotion in Pyaterochka from January 2, 2018. Catalog of promotional prices for New Year 12/23/2017 - The increase in pensions will be 2000 rubles It is officially allowed to make maternity capital as 1 contribution to a 6% mortgage A bus crashed into an underground passage, killing 4 people.
Hurricane Katrina, which struck Louisiana in 2005, caused the worst damage in US history. Photo pinterest.com
Tornadoes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, forest fires, floods, drought. At 10 million square meters territory of the United States, which covers 11 climatic regions, everything happens. ForumDaily studied in which states a natural disaster could await you, what to do if you find yourself in a natural disaster zone, and also talked with people from the CIS who experienced the wild nature of American nature.
Louisiana and Florida: Home of Hurricanes
Hurricane season lasts from early June to late November. The period from mid-August to early October is considered the most dangerous. Along the coast Atlantic Ocean The most destructive hurricanes are sweeping through the Gulf of Mexico and Hawaii.
The unluckiest state in this regard is Louisiana. Over the past 10 years, it has experienced more than 20 shocks, including 2 tropical storms and 7 destructive hurricanes. During this time, insurance companies paid out more than $32 billion to residents who lost their homes. Hurricane Katrina, which struck Louisiana in 2005, caused the worst damage in US history.
More powerful, but less destructive, was Hurricane Andrew. In August 1992, it struck southern Florida and southwestern Louisiana. And this spring, Louisiana was flooded. Dozens were underwater settlements, thousands of residents had to be evacuated.
At the end of the summer, another state was hit by hurricanes and tropical storms. This is Florida. Over the past 10 years, more than 10 hurricanes have been recorded here varying degrees destructiveness and 3 tropical storms. Insurance companies had to part with $30 billion.
Besides, central part Florida is called American capital lightning This is where the brightest and most dangerous flashes that lead to fires are recorded.
Texas: snow storms and tornadoes
At least 1,200 tornadoes are recorded in the United States every year. Favorite time this natural phenomenon- spring. And one of the favorite states is Texas, followed by Kansas and Oklahoma.
Over the past 10 years, Texas has experienced 50 tornadoes, snow storms and hurricanes. Insurers paid out more than $25 billion. To local residents you have to put up with heavy rains, tornadoes and hurricanes. The windiest cities are Galveston and Houston. Last year, Texas was hit by 9 tornadoes, killing more than a dozen people.
The entire central part of the United States - Texas, Kansas, Oklahoma, Colorado, Nebraska, Iowa, South Dakota, Minnesota and Illinois - is even called "Tornado Alley." Over the course of decades, about 90% of tornadoes form here. The Alley collected the saddest statistics in 1965, when more than 30 tornadoes with a crater height of about 10 km were recorded here. In the states of this "Alley" that year, more than 300 people were killed or missing, and more than 2,000 people were injured.
The design of buildings in these states requires special requirements. Stepan Perfilyev knows what it’s like to live in anticipation of a tornado. In 1996, he exchanged Moscow for the state of Texas, and the wind, which blows at a speed of 200 km/h, became the norm for him.
“Tornadoes have become part of our lives and have already become commonplace. You hear a siren, grab the children and run to the shelter,” says Stepan.
A shelter is a large bunker, which, as they say, does not burn in fire, does not sink in water and is not afraid of tornadoes. “This is a large box that is bolted to the floor and can withstand maximum wind pressure,” explains Stepan. “I put it in the garage 3 years ago, and this shelter has already saved our lives: 5-6 times my wife and children took refuge here from tornadoes.”
Stepan's family takes refuge in the bunker during drills, and the children have already turned it into a small playroom. Photo by Stepan Perfilyev
Stepan’s children, by the way, treat such gifts of nature calmly. Trained from birth, like all residents of the city of Addison and other Texas cities where tornadoes drop in.
“The city holds drills once a month, so children know what to do and where to run. They've even equipped the shelter with everything they personally need—toys, pencils—so they even have a supply of entertainment in case of a tornado. In addition to toys, food and water are stored there, of course, that is, all the necessary emergency supplies,” says Stepan.
Stepan Perfilyev's family is already accustomed to the fact that tornadoes have become constant companions in their lives. Photo by Stepan Perfilyev
Those who do not have special shelters, during a training or real alarm, take refuge in rooms without windows - such, according to the rules of development, should be in every house.
Oklahoma and Illinois: In the Heart of Tornado Alley
The best lifeguards in the USA would come from the residents of this state. Over the past 10 years, the population of Oklahoma has experienced 39 tornadoes of varying severity. Therefore, it is not surprising that people cope with natural disasters as professional rescuers.
The state of Illinois, which is also located on Tornado Alley, is lucky not only with tornadoes and hurricanes. In winter, powerful snow tornadoes and storms arrive from the Great Lakes region, which completely paralyze the lives of the local population.
Alabama and Tennessee: storms and storms
Blizzards, tropical storms, tornadoes and hurricanes are what residents in Alabama and Tennessee have to put up with. In the first state, the cities of Tuscaloosa and Birmingham suffer the most from the disaster. Well, the entire state, without exception, gets a portion of the tropical showers that the Gulf of Mexico generously supplies them with. In Tennessee, residents have already come to terms with the fact that their state is hit by the most powerful series of tornadoes.
Ohio: snowing and shaking
It is difficult to say what time of year is calm in this state. In winter there are snowstorms, in the spring the center and south of the state suffer from tornadoes, and in the summer and autumn earthquakes occur. Over the past 10 years, there have been more than 3 dozen shake-ups.
Natalya Oruil left Ohio after the divorce precisely because she could not cope with winter everyday difficulties. “There is so much snow that sometimes you just can’t leave the house. Without male power I can’t cope,” she says.
In winter, snowstorms paralyze Ohio. Photo weather.gov
The first serious snowfall after her divorce from her husband became a real disaster for her: “I was trapped at home, I couldn’t dig out my car, it was very difficult to cope with everyday life. I had to sit in the house for 2-3 days before rescuers helped me get out into the street. At home you always had to have a supply of food, batteries, and flashlights.”
Natalya, without hesitation, decided to move. “After surviving one winter, I realized that I couldn’t live in this state. I found a job at a bank, interviewed via Skype, and moved to Arizona. The biggest problem right now is the heat. But after snow storms, for me it’s not torture, but relaxation,” she admits.
Natalya realized that a woman alone could not cope with everyday difficulties in a snowy state. Photo from personal archive
Missouri: Great Floods and Tornadoes
If you study the history of the most powerful floods in the United States, several states will appear in all of them (because if there is going to be a flood, then it will be a big one) and Missouri will definitely be among them. The most destructive Great Mississippi Flood occurred here in 1927. 85 people were killed and more than 1,000 were injured. There were continuous downpours for almost 18 hours, the river overflowed its banks and broke the dam. In some places, the water rose 10 meters, and the Mississippi River itself overflowed 97 kilometers. In addition to Missouri, Kentucky, Arkansas, Illinois, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas were flooded.
This year, Missouri also experienced severe flooding that killed more than 20 people.
Missouri also gained notoriety as the state where a killer tornado swept through, killing between 250 and 500 people in 1986. They could not name the exact number of victims, because many bodies were carried into the river.
But even this was not enough for nature. In 1992, it rained heavily in Missouri throughout the fall, a lot of snow fell in the winter, and in the spring of 1993 it was so flooded that the flood of 1927 in its power seemed not such a big disaster. The flood lasted for six months: from April to October. Tens of thousands of houses were destroyed, fifty people died and went missing. Property damage amounted to more than $15 billion, not including payments from insurance companies.
California, Alaska and Nevada: ring of earthquakes
There are several seismically active zones in the United States. About 90% of earthquakes occur in California, western part Nevada and Alaska. The most destructive earthquakes occurred in San Francisco in 1906 and Alaska in 1964.
In San Francisco natural disaster killed about 3,000 people, 80% of buildings were destroyed. The 9.2 magnitude earthquake in Alaska was the most powerful in US history. More than 100 people died then, most due to the tsunami with 20-meter waves that hit the state after the earthquake.
HOW TO BEHAVIOR DURING A TSUNAMI
The first sign of a tsunami is a change (rise or fall) of sea level along a coastline.
When a tsunami approaches, go to higher ground, as far from the shore as possible.
If there is no hill, move at least 3 km from the coast.
Do not approach or drive up to the sea to watch how the tsunami approaches the shore: when the wave is in sight, you will not have time to take cover and save yourself.
Never go down to the sea to look at the bottom exposed by a tsunami or to watch a tsunami. When you see the approaching wave, it will be too late to escape.
Remember that a tsunami is a series of waves, the interval between which can be several hours. Only special services can clear the alarm.
The cause of these earthquakes, like most tremors in the United States, is said to be the movement of the Pacific and North American plates, between which the famous San Andreas fault is located. Once every 120-140 years, earthquakes with a power of more than 8.5 occur here. Earthquakes with a power of about 8.0 occur more often - once every 10 years. Also included in the Pacific Rim zone is the state of Washington, where earthquakes up to magnitude 8 are recorded once every 20 years.
Scaleearthquake intensity
1 point (inconspicuous) - noted only with special devices;
2 points (very weak) - felt only by very sensitive pets and some people in the upper floors of buildings;
3 points (weak) - felt only inside some buildings, like a shock from a truck;
4 points (moderate) - the earthquake is noted by many people; possible vibration of windows and doors;
5 points (quite strong) - swinging of hanging objects, creaking of floors, rattling of glass, shedding of whitewash;
6 points (strong) - slight damage to buildings: thin cracks in plaster, cracks in stoves, etc.;
7 points (very strong) - significant damage to buildings; cracks in plaster and breaking off individual pieces, thin cracks in walls, damage to chimneys; cracks in damp soils;
8 points (destructive) - destruction in buildings: large cracks in the walls, falling cornices, chimneys. Landslides and cracks up to several centimeters wide on mountain slopes;
9 points (devastating) - collapses in some buildings, collapse of walls, partitions, roofs. Landslides, screes and landslides in the mountains. The speed of crack propagation can reach 2 cm/s;
10 points (destructive) - collapses in many buildings; in the rest - serious damage. Cracks in the ground up to 1 m wide, collapses, landslides. Due to the rubble of river valleys, lakes arise;
11 points (catastrophe) - numerous cracks on the surface of the Earth, large landslides in the mountains. General destruction of buildings;
12 points (severe catastrophe) - change in relief in large sizes. Huge collapses and landslides. General destruction of buildings and structures.
An earthquake of magnitude 7.1 was recorded in Alaska this year, and the last one was in San Francisco. powerful earthquake magnitude 6.1 occurred in August 2014. Then more than 100 people were injured. In neighboring Napa, about a hundred residents were also injured, and water and gas supplies were interrupted.
Mikhail Buznik remembers the events of 2014 well because it was his first week in San Francisco. He and his family won a green card. In his native Novgorod, everything was sold for old life a point has been made. The family moved to San Francisco, where Mikhail’s relatives lived. And the very first week in the new place brought an unpleasant surprise.
Mikhail recalls that his first reaction was a feeling of helplessness: “When the walls are shaking and you don’t understand what will happen to you and your children, when you wake them up in the middle of the night and don’t know where to run, it’s very scary. The house began to shake, vases fell, and a television collapsed from the wall. I grabbed the children, my wife took the documents, and we ran out into the street.I remember how my hands were shaking, and I didn’t even think about how to hide my panic. Fortunately, that night, with one push, everything ended and did not happen again. We have no plans to leave California. There is no place on earth that is 100% safe. Fear for your life will be everywhere, no matter where you are.”
That same year, California nearly lost the championship to another state. In Oklahoma in July 2014, 7 earthquakes occurred at once. The magnitude of the shocks ranged from 2.6 to 4.5. Seismologists have already drawn the attention of the authorities to the fact that in recent years in oil and gas producing states - Oklahoma, Texas, Colorado, Arkansas, New Mexico - the number of earthquakes has increased several times. For example, in the same Oklahoma, from 1980 to 2010, 2 earthquakes more powerful than 3 points were recorded per year, and last year more than 200 strong tremors were counted.
HOW TO BEHAVIOR DURING AN EARTHQUAKE
If you are indoors, hide under a table or stand in the corner of the room.
Move away from windows and heavy objects.
If you are standing on the street near high-rise buildings- stand in the doorway.
Do not run out into the street if an earthquake finds you in your home, so as not to fall under the rubble of collapsing structures.
Do not use the elevator or stairs: the elevators will stop because the emergency sensor is activated, and the stairs may become congested.
If you are in a car, drive away from bridges and high-voltage lines and stay in the car.
Do not leave the shelter after the first shock; it may be followed by new (so-called aftershock) earthquakes that follow the first shock.
Authorities warn and help
To ensure that US residents are prepared for emergencies and know how to behave, the government has created portal , where you can find information on how to prepare for an emergency to keep your home and family safe.
No matter what state you live in, it's a good idea to have an emergency kit in your home: a flashlight, a portable radio, extra batteries, blankets, a first aid kit, a 3-day supply of canned food, and a 3-day supply of water. Please store this supply compactly and in one place so that in case of an emergency the kit can be easily found.
An Emergency Assistance and Resource Center has been created for those affected by the disaster. emergency situations. To contact the Center, you can go to website or call 1-800-621-3362. Hearing impaired number: 1-800-462-7585.
To control the elements and natural disasters created interactive maps. You can receive real-time information about tornadoes, earthquakes and weather in all US states.
Tornadoes and tornadoes are natural disasters caused by strong winds. Spinning into funnels, they descend to the surface of the earth, destroying buildings, cars and trees, and often the result of their appearance is the death of people. Tornadoes occur more frequently in the United States compared to other countries; according to statistics, there are an average of about 700 tornadoes here annually.
Origin of tornado
The nature of the origin and occurrence of a tornado is the collision of two differently directed strong winds. When passing storm cloud the headwind suddenly changes direction and blows vertically upward, then falls down. Sometimes the ascending and descending currents meet inside the cloud and begin to twist in a spiral, which becomes the beginning of a tornado.
In meteorology, such a swirling column of air is called a mesocyclone. A mass of rotating air - a vortex or whirlpool. There's a fall happening inside of him atmospheric pressure, due to which the absorption of ambient air greatly increases. As they grow, such tornadoes gain power and begin to rotate faster. Moreover, the speed of movement of a tornado is in the range of 20-60 km/h.
When air is drawn in from below, the tornado becomes like a funnel or cone. How more quantity air, the more cone-shaped it will become.
The shape of a tornado can be in the form of a thin rotating tube or a cone. The diameter can reach several hundred meters, and near water its lower diameter decreases to 30 m, and when touching the surface of the earth - to 2-3 km.
The direction of air swirling inside a tornado in the Northern Hemisphere is always counterclockwise, while in the Southern Hemisphere it is always clockwise.
The color of a tornado can be very varied and depends on the amount of dirt and dust raised from the ground. It most often ranges from off-white, gray to brown or red-brown when red clay is mixed in. Also, its shades can change with lighting or sunset and other atmospheric phenomena. Nighttime tornadoes are often accompanied by lightning flashes inside thundercloud.
The wind speed inside a tornado can reach 1000 km/h, and trees, metal objects and, in general, everything that it sucks from the surface of the earth can move inside it with the same force.
Disaster in the USA
The weather in the USA and the physical and geographical features of its territory contribute to the emergence large quantity tornadoes and hurricanes. In its flat part there are powerful westerly winds, which blow over the Rocky Mountains. The movement of air masses across a huge plain, surrounded on both sides by oceans and mountains, has specific features. This is where the “drought line” runs, dividing the line between dry westerly air and moist easterly winds.
When they reach the plains, they encounter lower warm currents coming from the Gulf of Mexico. Typically, a tornado is accompanied by heavy rain, wind or hail. The collision of opposing air masses, as a rule, occurs over the central states, and powerful tornadoes are formed here.
The most common type of tornado in the United States is a whip tornado (a classic funnel with a smooth pillar). The most dangerous are compound vortices, resembling a rope in shape. Less common are fire tornadoes that occur during a fire.
"Tornado Alley"
Tornadoes are a regular occurrence across the United States, but there are areas where they occur most frequently: the plains between the Appalachians and the Rocky Mountains.
Tornado Alley includes areas of the central United States that include Texas, Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas, Oklahoma, Colorado, South Dakota and Minnesota. These regions account for 90% of all tornadoes formed in America.
The term "Tornado Alley" was first used in 1952 in scientific project E. Faubush and R. Miller, in which the weather in the USA was studied. The name was then picked up by the press, spreading it around the world. The term "Great Plains Tornado Belt" is also sometimes used.
Almost the entire territory of the Alley is the Great Plains, where there are no mountains, which often act as barriers to the discharge of moisture. Because of this, the lowland region is open to the passage of cold fronts from Canada, as well as warm ones from Mexico. When they collide, tornadoes are born.
The number of tornadoes depends on weather conditions and time of year. According to meteorologists' observations maximum quantity occurs in spring, minimal - in winter.
Science and tornadoes
Beginning in the 1950s, scientists began to officially record tornadoes in America, as well as conduct numerous studies of the natural disaster. Protection mechanisms began to be actively introduced, devices were developed that promptly signal the origin and passage of atmospheric vortices, calculating the degree of danger of a tornado.
The protection system includes weather satellites and locators; using photographs of passing fronts, scientists predict the likely appearance of tornadoes. In the regions included in the “Tornado Alley”, during construction, special calculations of the structure of buildings are taken into account, shelters are built, professional services, notifying residents with signals about the beginning or approach of a natural disaster.
Consequences of a tornado
Tornadoes in the United States bring terrible destruction and loss of life to cities and towns across the country, because when a tornado passes, all structures and objects inside the funnel are sucked into it.
Due to low pressure Inside a tornado, when it comes into contact with a building or any objects, an explosion and great destruction can occur. Preserved in history funny case, when a tornado passed through the chicken coop, after which all the chickens were plucked. Scientists explained this by an explosion of air sacs located at the base of the bird's feathers, during which the feathers were separated from the body.
A tragic example of destruction is the destruction of the entire town of Greensburg (Kansas), which occurred in May 2007: a tornado 2.7 km wide with a speed of 330 km/h destroyed 95% of the buildings (see photo located in the article below) and carried away 11 human lives, although the warning by sirens passed 20 minutes before. before the tornado approached, and residents managed to hide.
Statistics
According to scientists, as of today, 10 thousand people have been affected by tornadoes in America.
The most terrible and destructive elements, according to historical data, occurred in the 20th-21st centuries. in such years:
- 1917 - Mattoon tornado;
- 1925 - a 1.6 km wide tornado passed through 3 states (Missouri, Illinois, Indiana), killing 690 people, destroying many settlements and farms;
- 1953 - a town in Texas is destroyed, more than 100 people are killed;
- 1998 - powerful tornadoes in Florida.
2011 was a record year for the number of tornadoes - 1,704 tornadoes and 553 deaths. America's average annual material losses reach almost $8 billion.
Tornado 2017
This year, the disaster continued its destructive effect in some states.
Major tornadoes in the USA in 2017:
- March - the tornado that passed through left 500 thousand people without electricity. in Michigan.
- May - 13 people became victims of a disaster that swept over 5 US states, and several more were missing.
- June - A tornado ripped through the Pentagon Air Force base in Nebraska and damaged 10 national emergency aircraft, several trees and one structure.
- August 11 - a tornado in the Texas town of Tulsa left 11 thousand residents without electricity, 30 people were injured.
- During the second half of August in Texas during the passage of Hurricane Harvey, meteorologists announced the passage of more than 70 tornadoes, so the last tornado in the United States can still be considered a frequent occurrence.
Tornado Hunters
People who have had to deal with the phenomenon of a tornado in their life are divided into two categories: those who got into it by accident, and hunters who are specifically looking for an encounter with it. natural disaster. Hunting for tornadoes in the United States today is one of the hobbies of people who love extreme situations.
Such a movement was created with purely scientific purposes. After all, to study the nature of a tornado it was necessary to get closer to it. Scientists in cars tried to drive closer to the passing tornado, which often ended tragically. However, this could not stop researchers and hunters of such spectacles, because photos and videos obtained from close range from this atmospheric phenomenon, fascinate with their originality and formidable natural beauty.
Tornado(Spanish "tornado") is, perhaps, the most unpredictable force of nature, which can destroy everything in its path. A tornado occurs under certain atmospheric conditions and looks like trunk with a diameter of tens and hundreds of meters, rotating at great speed and drawing into itself everything that can be carried away.
Although tornadoes can occur anywhere in the world, they are most common in the United States. The latest tornado to hit Indiana, Kentucky and Ohio has killed 28 people.
The strength of a tornado is measured using the Fujita-Pearson scale, developed by Dr. Theodore Fujita to classify tornadoes based on the degree of damage caused by the wind.
The word "Tornado" comes from Spanish and denotes a turn. A tornado occurs under certain atmospheric conditions, in an area of low pressure, during a severe thunderstorm.
A tornado usually occurs in a thundercloud and stretches down, often to the very surface of the earth, in the form of a trunk with a diameter of several tens to hundreds of meters:
Most often, tornadoes occur in the United States. The second most popular region for tornadoes is Europe. The latest tornado to hit America has already killed 28 people. The city of Harrisburg, Illinois, was the hardest hit. Until recently there was a house on this site, but on February 29, 2012 it was completely destroyed by a tornado. (Photo by Jim Young | Reuters):
The average diameter of a tornado funnel is 300-400 meters, although it can reach several kilometers.
Inside a tornado there is an area of very rarefied air, and closed objects filled with gas or air, including buildings and structures, can explode from the inside due to pressure differences.
The power of a tornado is enormous. It is estimated that the energy of a tornado with a diameter of 2 km and an average wind speed of 70 m/s comparable to the energy of an atomic bomb, which was blown up in the USA during tests called "" in 1945.
Oklahoma tornado:
In 2011, about 550 people became victims of tornadoes, which was the most high rate since 1936.
Kansas tornado:
Let's go back to the last tornado in the USA which destroyed hundreds of homes in several states, February 29, 2012. (Photo by Dave Kaup | Reuters):
After the tornado passed, the flimsy American houses turned into ruins like this. Branson, Missouri, February 29, 2012. (Photo by Sarah Conard | Reuters):
However, brick buildings could not stand it either, Illinois, February 29, 2012. (Photo by Whitney Curtis | Getty Images):
The city of Harrisburg in Illinois, February 29, 2012. Winds hit the city at speeds of up to 320 km/h! (Photo by Whitney Curtis | Getty Images):
Most of the dead residents of the states did not hear the tornado warning sirens because they were asleep. This photo above shows how a tornado moved through the city of Harrisburg on February 29, 2012. (Photo by Steve Jahnke | The Southern | AP):
In total, more than 60 tornadoes were recorded in the southern United States, some of them reaching 800 meters in diameter. According to eyewitnesses, the tornado lifted entire houses, cars and heavy trucks into the air. Harrisburg, Illinois, February 29, 2012. (Photo by Scott Olson | Getty Images):
The reasons for the formation of tornadoes have not yet been studied. At the initial stage of tornado formation, a funnel hanging in the air appears from a thundercloud, which then “grows” to the ground.
When the tornado ends, the funnel narrows and breaks away from the surface of the earth, gradually rising back into the cloud.
In Russia, the first mention of tornadoes dates back to 1406.
"Silver Rain" In 1940 in the village of Meshchery Nizhny Novgorod region it began to rain silver coins. During a thunderstorm, a treasure of coins was washed away, and a passing tornado lifted the coins into the air and dropped them near the village of Meshchera.
