Q. What is a tornado?
A. A rotating column of air ranging in width from a few yards to more than a mile and whirling at destructively high speeds. They are usually accompanied by a funnel-shaped downward extension of a cumulonimbus cloud.
Q. What city has been hit by the most tornadoes?
A. Oklahoma City. There has been 116 in Oklahoma City since 1890.
Q. What is the highest-elevation tornado?
A. The highest-elevation tornado is unknown, but it is at least 10,000 feet above sea level.
Q. Who was the first storm chaser?
A. The first storm chaser was the late Roger Jensen, who hunted tornadoes in the late 1940's. David Hoadley has been hunting tornadoes since 1956, and is considered the "pioneer" storm chaser.
Q. What is a funnel cloud?
A. A funnel cloud is any rotating column of air extending from the base of a cloud, but not reaching the ground.
Q. When was the first successful tornado forecast?
A. Nobody knows when the first tornado forecast was, but the first documented, successful tornado forecast was by meteorologist, Air Force Capt. Robert Miller and Major Ernest Fawbush, on March 25, 1948.
Q. What was the biggest known tornado?
A. The biggest known tornado was the Hallam, Nebraska F4 tornado on
May 22, 2004.
Q. How long does a tornado last?
A. Most tornadoes last less than 10 minutes, however, a tornado can last from several seconds to more than an hour.
Q. What is the path length of tornadoes?
A. The path length of tornadoes is between 100 yards to one mile wide and they are rarely more than 15 miles long.
Q. What was the biggest, deadliest outbreak of tornadoes in the U.S?
A. The biggest outbreak of tornadoes was on
April 3 and April 4, 1974 when 147 tornadoes touched down in 13 U.S states. The deadliest outbreak of tornadoes in the U.S was on March 18, 1925 which killed 747 people and injured 2,027 people. The tornadoes occured in Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana.
*myth- The low pressure of a tornado causes a buildings to explode.
* myth- You should open your windows before a tornado approaches to save your house from the damaging effects of tornadoes.
*myth- Highways are safe places to hide when a tornado is coming.
* myth-The safest location during a tornado is the southwest coner of your basement.
* fact-The violent winds and debris floating in the air cause most of the damage to buildings during a tornado.
*fact- Opening windows during a tornado allows damaging winds to enter your house and cause more structural damage.