Tornadoes, in my opinion, are the greatest occurence in weather. They hold so much power and come in many different shapes and sizes. In this hub, you will learn (if you don't already) how to spot a tornado or sense whether a tornado when a tornado will hit. This hub will hopefully bring awareness to citizens of how powerful and dangerous tornadoes really are.

Tornadoes and How They Form

A tornado, as you may suspect, is a giant rotating sphere suspended in the air. But tornadoes are MUCH more than this 3rd grade answer. Tornadoes form in powerful thunderstorms called supercells. Supercells last longer and are more powerful than your regular thunderstorm. The inflow of air into the storm forms a funnel shape in the clouds. The air caught in the funnel spins faster and faster until it starts to suck in more and more air, forming a tornado. Tornadoes will also be likely to occur with cold and hot air mixing together.

Some Ways to Spot a Tornado

Green Clouds

If you live in the country, you know of how flat and vegitative the country is. Green clouds are most likely to occur in the country. Green clouds are thought to be green because the reflection of light from the green vegitation reflects onto the clouds; and, as you know, tornadoes are most likely to occur in the country due to the flatness. If you see green clouds, you might want to check into the local weather station to see if severe weather is possible over the course of the day.

Wall Clouds

Wall clouds are the clouds associated with tornadoes. Pretty much, tornadoes form and sprout out of the wall cloud. The wall cloud looks just like it sounds; a wall. It is a very low hanging cloud. When you see a wall cloud, it is almost certain a tornado will pop out of one of those suckers!

Power Flashes

Some tornadoes are, as I call them, 'hidden tornadoes'. These tornadoes have the potential to be hidden by blankets of rain. When the tornado is surrounded by heavy rain, it is impossible to see. But here is one tip that you can use to see if that thing you are looking at is a tornado; power flashes. Some people might think power flashes occur when the power in your home flashes. Although this is certainly true, there is another type of 'power flash'. When a tornado is spinning and doing its thing on the ground, power flashes can occur. Power flashes are when the tornado hits a power line(s). When the tornado hits the power line, a large lighting flash will occur. It is very brief, so you have to watch carefully. They sometimes occur almost right after each other so its easier to see.

Tornado Safety

The single most important thing in a situation of observing a tornado, hands down, is safety! All of us have heard the expression 'Safety First'! Always be listening for tornado sirens. Sometimes, a tornado occurs so fast, that the siren warnings do not have enough time to warn the citizens. Listen to your local radio station or watch the TV. The weathermen will usually be on TV or radio updating local weather info that is critical to safety. If you do know that a tornado is headed straight for you, you should: 1) Get inside. 2) Find a room, or get into your room, set apart for tornado safety. The room must have no windows or heavy objects that might be dangerous if they do fall over. 3) Cover your whole body with a matress for flying debris. If you start to hear a sound like a freight train, that means the tornado is dangerously close. 4) Once the tornado passes, get out safely and check your surroundings. Your neighbors might need help!

Observing tornadoes and watching what they do is awe-inspiring and very fun. Always remember though, safety first! Have a great time chasing these weather monsters! Thanks for reading,

--John

http://johnburgdorf.webs.com/