What are the characteristics of tornadoes?

Tornado is the strongest vortex phenomenon in the atmosphere, which often occurs in thunderstorm weather in summer, especially in the afternoon and evening. Although the scope of influence is small, it is extremely destructive.

Tornadoes often uproot trees, overturn vehicles and destroy buildings. It often destroys crops and tens of thousands of fruit trees instantly, disrupts traffic, collapses houses and loses people's lives and economy.

Generally speaking, a tornado is a whirlwind. When it touches the ground, its diameter varies from several meters to several hundred meters, with an average of about 250 meters and a maximum of about 1000 meters. The diameter in the air can be several kilometers, and the maximum is 10 kilometers. The maximum wind speed can reach 150 km to 450 km per hour, and the tornado usually lasts only a few minutes, but the longest is only a few minutes. Everywhere I went, I was robbed. The funnel-shaped center of tornado is composed of inhaled dust and condensed water vapor, which is a visible "dragon mouth". On the ocean, especially in the tropics, similar scenes are called sea tornadoes.

Tornadoes are usually extremely fast, and it is not surprising that the wind speed is 100 meters per second, even reaching more than 175 meters per second, which is five or six times larger than the typhoon 12. The range of wind is very small, generally the diameter is only 25~ 100 meters, and only in rare cases can the diameter reach more than one kilometer; It takes only a few minutes from occurrence to disappearance, at most a few hours.

Tornado in sandbar

Most tornadoes rotate counterclockwise in the northern hemisphere and clockwise in the southern hemisphere, with some exceptions. The exact mechanism of tornado formation is still under study, and it is generally believed to be related to the violent activities of the atmosphere.

Since19th century, the accuracy of weather forecast has been greatly improved, and various disasters and storms such as tornadoes and hurricanes can be detected by weather radar.