Experts decode how tornadoes form

Tornadoes are formed from a combination of many complex meteorological factors, mainly appearing during thunderstorms or strong storms.

A tornado, also known as a waterspout (when it appears over the sea), is a giant column of air rotating at high speed, extending from a thunderstorm cloud to the ground. This weather phenomenon has a funnel or tube shape. Depending on the conditions, a tornado can have a diameter of several dozen meters to more than 2 km. Photo: amnh.org.

Basically, tornadoes are wind so humans cannot observe them with the naked eye. However, during the process of formation and operation, tornadoes rotate at very high speeds, sweeping up dust, soil, garbage and objects on the ground. Accordingly, they rotate with the wind in the tornado, helping us to observe this phenomenon. Photo: Domenichini Giuliano / Shutterstock.

Although tornadoes are short-lived, most lasting less than 10 minutes, in some extreme cases they can last for several hours. Tornadoes with winds of several hundred kilometers per hour can cause more damage than the strongest hurricanes. Photo: disasterphilanthropy.org.

In terms of formation, tornadoes are a combination of many complex meteorological factors. They often appear during large thunderstorms or during strong storms. Photo: Nikolas Noonan on Unsplash.

The prerequisite for the formation of a tornado is the presence of hot, humid air at low levels and cold, dry air at high levels in the atmosphere, forming convection currents. Photo: amnh.org.

Next, to form a tornado, an indispensable factor is the phenomenon of wind shear (also known as wind shear). This is the phenomenon of sudden change in wind speed or direction over a short distance horizontally or vertically. Photo: amnh.org.

Experts explain that wind shear is a phenomenon in which, in the same area but at different altitudes, the wind can blow in different directions and at different speeds. Photo: amnh.org.

Warm air tends to rise rapidly, while cold air sinks. These two layers of air create severe instability in the atmosphere and, combined with horizontal wind shear, cause the air to start rotating. Photo: amnh.org.

When the air column above is pulled up by strong convection currents in thunderstorm clouds, it will cause them to contract and rotate faster according to the law of conservation of angular momentum. Photo: amnh.org.

In addition, favorable terrain conditions are also an important factor for tornado formation. Large plains, with little obstruction by hills and mountains, are often the places where tornadoes are most likely to form. Because tornadoes form suddenly and unpredictably, experts can predict their timing, location and direction. Photo: John Huntington.

Readers are invited to watch the video : Storm No. 10 severely devastated the Central provinces. Source: THĐT1.

Source: https://khoahocdoisong.vn/chuyen-gia-giai-ma-cach-hinh-thanh-loc-xoay-post2149056997.html