GEOLOGY

EARTH SCIENCE

NATURAL HAZARDS

Question [CLICK ON ANY CHOICE TO KNOW THE RIGHT ANSWER]
What does a tornado need in order to form?
A
Warm, moist air from the Gulf of Mexico and cool, dry air from Canada
B
Cold air and wind
C
Either A or B
D
None of the above
Explanation: 

Detailed explanation-1: -You need warm, moist air from the Gulf of Mexico and cool, dry air from Canada. When these two air masses meet, they create instability in the atmosphere. A change in wind direction and an increase in wind speed with increasing height creates an invisible, horizontal spinning effect in the lower atmosphere.

Detailed explanation-2: -The key atmospheric ingredients that lead to tornado potential are instability-warm moist air near the ground, with cooler dry air aloft and wind shear-a change in wind speed and/or direction with height.

Detailed explanation-3: -Tornadoes form when warm, humid air collides with cold, dry air. The denser cold air is pushed over the warm air, usually producing thunderstorms. The warm air rises through the colder air, causing an updraft. The updraft will begin to rotate if winds vary sharply in speed or direction.

Detailed explanation-4: -The warm air rises from the lower atmosphere causing an updraft, which mixes with the heavier cold air.

Detailed explanation-5: -For a thunderstorm to produce a tornado requires warm humid air near the surface with cold dry air above. These conditions make the atmosphere very unstable, in the sense that once air near the ground is forced upward, it moves upward quickly and forms a storm.

There is 1 question to complete.