Severe Weather: Tornadoes

What is a tornado?

• A long high wave caused by an earthquake.

• Rapidly rotating column of air that reaches from a storm cloud to the Earth's surface.

• A sudden and violent shaking of the ground, sometimes causing great destruction.

• A large, destructive fire that spreads quickly over woodland or brush.

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-5

NGSS.MS-ESS3-2

How fast are the winds inside a tornado?

• 5-10 miles per hour

• 65-250 miles per hour

• 500-700 miles her hour

• 1,000-1,500 miles per hour

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-5

NGSS.MS-ESS3-2

Variation in wind speed and/or direction over a short distance.

• Squall line

• Severe thunderstorm

• feeder bands

• Shear

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-5

A thunderstorm with a persistent rotating updraft. Responsible for a remarkably high percentage of severe weather events - especially tornadoes, extremely large hail and damaging straight-line winds.

• Tornado

• Training thunderstorms

• Supercell

• Cumulonimbus

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-5

NGSS.MS-ESS3-2

A scale of wind damage intensity in which wind speeds are inferred from an analysis of wind damage.

• Saffir-Simpson scale

• Fujita scale

• Wind speed scale

• Damage indicator scale

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS3-2

The difference in temperature between the upper and lower portions of a column of a storm is known as...

• Life index

• Dew point

• Humidity

• Shear wind

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-5

NGSS.MS-ESS2-6

The amount of water vapor (moisture) in the atmosphere.

• Humidity

• Life index

• Dew point

• Wind shear

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-4

NGSS.MS-ESS2-6

The temperature at which the atmosphere can be saturated with water vapor.

• Dew point

• Life index

• CAPE

• Shear wind

The amount of energy available in a storm cell.

• Life index

• Dew point

• CAPE

• Pressure

Tags

NGSS.HS-PS3-4

Convective Available Potential Energy is called...

• Life index

• CAPE

• Wind shear

• Dew point

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-5