Violent Weather: Tornadoes
If a new mesocyclone develops, the cycle may begin again, generating a new tornado, and in some cases there may be 2 or more funnels touching the earth at any one time. As the first mesocyclone and associated tornado dissipate, the storm’s inflow is concentrated into a new area closer to the center of the storm. As the tornado enters the dissipating stage, its associated mesocyclone often weakens as well, as the rear flank downdraft cuts off the air flow powering it.
As the mesocyclone nears the ground, a visible funnel appears from the base of the storm clouds. This downdraft accelerates as it approaches the ground, and drags the rotating mesocyclone towards the ground with it. As rainfall in the storm increases, it drags with it an area of quickly descending air known as the rear flank downdraft. The life cycle of a tornado begins when a strong thunderstorm develops a rotating mesocyclone high up in the atmosphere.
Tornadoes have been observed on every continent on earth except Antarctica, the majority the world’s tornadoes occur in the United States and in particular Tornado Alley. Some tornadoes can have winds of more than 280mph, can be more than a mile across, and stay on the ground for tens of miles. Most tornadoes have winds of 100mph or less, are approximately 90 meters wide, and travel a few miles before fizzling out.
Tornadoes typically have a visible funnel, with the narrow end touching the surface of the earth. Tornadoes are defined as an aggressively rotating column of air which is in contact with both a cloud base and the earth.
