March 31st 2008, I am sitting at my computer desk listening to the sound of thunder rumbling outside of my office window. Already the surrounding county’s around my county have had 4 tornado touch downs today already. The most recent touch down was in the town of Buffalo, Mo with highway 65 close because of debris. The fury of these brutal storms show no mercy for anything or anyone in its path.
The fear and fascination of tornado’s scare me because the combination of the two make up a childish curiosity that could get me killed. For most of my adult life I have wanted to chase these black beasts, but my family has slowed me down. My mind was needing to know why the tornado will do one thing this way, then do the exact opposite a mile down the road. The mystery may never get solved, but all of us in the hunt of the tornado will keep trying to solve this mystery till the end of time.
The anatomy of a tornado is a great achievement of the all mighty creator himself. To accomplish these big winded monsters, you have to have some very warm and moist air in place. The moisture from the gulf is also a needed ingredient to get the show on the way. Then a sharp cold front behind the warm air will have to collide to get it started. With those ingredients all together, and through this lifting process the cap is removed, thereby setting the stage for explosive thunderstorm development as strong updrafts develop. As the rising air encounters wind shear, it may cause the updraft to begin rotating – and a tornado is born. Depending on the strength of the storm could depend on the length of time the tornado stays on the ground.
The fujita scale intensity tops out at F5 with a maximum wind speed of 318 mph. With the right ingredients, the scientists say an F6 is possible with wind speeds up to 350 mph. That is a bunch of wind. Starting at the beginning, the F0 has wind speeds up to 72 mph. The F1 will do moderate damage with wind speeds up to 112 mph. At a 157 mph, these winds with considerable damage make up an F2. The F3 with wind speeds of 206 mph, will remove roofs and do severe damage. Then there is the F4, with winds up to an incredible 260 mph, this tornado will level houses as well as the first 2 “F” categories we talked about earlier.
Tornado’s, as long as there is severe weather, there will be the chance of having one of these windy animals remove your house from existence. So take cover, go to the basement and with a lot of prayer maybe when you walk out, your house will still be standing there!
