Pictures

Tornado

Oldest known Picture of a Tornado

This photo was taken near Howard, South Dakota on August 28, 1884, by an unknown photographer.

Classic Tornado

This tornado took place on the open prairie over the northeast Texas panhandle. This was the third of five occuring tornadoes that day. This day had divided chasers. Some chasers went south to Childress and others went north to Canadian. The storm started in the Canadian.

Morning Tornado

This tornado occured near Seymour, Texas. The storm that started this tornado occured at about ten in the morning and was still rotating after eleven AM. This was a loud tornado and could be heard within 2 miles of the funnel.

WaterSpout

A waterspout is a weak tornado that forms over warm water. Alot of the time, waterspouts move inland becoming dangerous tornadoes that can cause damage and injuries. They are most common along the Gulf Coast and southeastern states.

How a Tornado Forms

Tornadoes are first formed by an increase in wind speed with increasing height and a change in wind direction which creates an invisible, horizontal spinning effect in the lower atmosphere. Secondly, air rising in the thunderstorm updraft tilts the rotating air from horizontal to vertical. Third, an area of rotation between two and six miles wide extends through much of the storm. Normally strong tornadoes form from this area of strong rotation.

Last Updated: 1/17/06

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