Could You Survive Running Through A Tornado?

nice binoculars Brainard how is the Midwest's Badlands National Park we also heard it gets quite windy out there oh don't freak out but there is a tornado in the foreground didn't bother checking the weather on your way out huh just hop back in your car and head for less windy pastures what's that your rides gone no fear we'll send a car your way but for now brain you're you should start running haven't you heard you can outrun a tornado and you won't need superhero abilities or spandex for that matter to do so will even tell you how before we get swept up in it all get it because of the tornados anyway let's unravel the science behind mother nature's funnels a tornado is a violently rotating column of air that extends between the Earth's surface and a cloud typically a cumulonimbus cloud try saying that five times fast most lasts less than ten minutes however larger ones have been reported to last closer to half an hour sure ten minutes seems like not enough time to do a rep real damage but if you consider that tornadoes can reach speeds up to 483 kilometres an hour and spin across the ground for dozens of miles upon miles then you might think differently the EF scale which stands for enhanced fujita scale was implemented in the united states in 2007 to measure tornadoes based on wind damage by measuring wind speeds researchers and meteorologists can report how dangerous a tornado may be interestingly according to the EF scale a tornado begins to cause light damage at 105 kilometers an hour but of course the risk increases as the spread of the wind does as well the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reports that 60 lives a year in the United States are lost to tornadoes and that doesn't mean that farm folks are getting caught in the middle of them these unfortunate numbers are actually the result of flying or falling debris that result from the high wind speeds only half of these cases are actually caused by the strongest and most violent storms so now we've established that mother nature is a force to be reckoned with let's discuss the formation of tornadoes according to National Geographic most tornadoes Nate from supercell thunderstorms unlike a regular thunderstorm a super cell contains a spinning column of air at its center called of vortex as it grows in size the vortex in the middle begins to tilt siphoning warm air and moisture upward then it spews out cold dry air towards the ground it's this updraft of warm air that causes the vortex to swell with water vapor and resulting in a swirling funnel cloud at its center then tada tornado is a Bruin the United States is one of the countries that sees the most tornadoes in any given year in fact the area that sees the most is commonly referred to as Tornado Alley this part of the country consists of the Great Plains the Mississippi Valley and you guessed it Brainerd the Midwest and all its bison filled glory the state of Florida alone sees about 12 tornadoes a year more than any other state - due to its hot dry and windy conditions but no two tornadoes are the same no no no each one is dependent on the environments weather conditions and can vary in size speed even shape depending on the atmospheric temperature pressure in wind direction take the rope tornado which gets its name from none other than its skinny tailed end but don't get it twisted what do you know another tornado joke it's smaller size doesn't mean it's weaker then there's the cone tornado which is the formation you're probably most familiar with from drawings or cartoons these bad boys commonly roll across the plains in the central us and because of their cone shape they tend to leave a larger trail of damage and a top off our list of mother nature's unparalleled power there is the wedge tornado according to meteorologists wedges are some of the worst and most damaging tornadoes in history the 2013 El Reno tornado is an example of this natural havoc because these are the widest formations of tornadoes they can guard 2.6 miles wide during the height of the storm creating irreparable damage to the center of the twister now you will have noticed that we didn't use the word hurricane during this quick science lesson that's because hurricanes and tornadoes are by no means the same thing according to the University of Rhode Island's hurricanes science department the main difference between the two natural phenomenons is where they form hurricanes form over water and tropical oceans while tornadoes form over land another major difference between the two is how big they are while tornadoes reach impressive widths and heights hurricanes are much larger not to mention meteorologists can give advanced warning to the conditions that are conducive to hurricanes or as with tornadoes it's harder to predict when they're gonna happen scientists still aren't 100% sure on why and how tornadoes start which is troubling considering how frequently they occur and how much damage they caused after all wouldn't have been nice to know that today wasn't the best time to watch the Bison moving on now if you thought there were just different formations of tornadoes then hold on to your hats because we haven't even begun to mention twisters made of different elements a subcategory of tornadoes are referred to as minor whirlwinds they're created when local winds start to spin on the ground and form funnel shapes commonly picks up materials such as dust sand snow and dirt from the ground thus becoming visible they're much less damaging than tornadoes but equally impressive then there's of the waterspout an intense columnar vortex that occurs over a body of water before mostly in the tropics in subtropical areas like Australia New Zealand but there have even been reports in Antarctica and to top off the impressive whirl winds made by nature's elements there's the fire swirl yeah you heard me a whirlwind made of fire a famous example of this is the 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake in Japan which ignited a large city sized firestorm makes you reconsider how unlucky you thought you were brainer doesn't it for all we know you could have been chased by a fire tornado so now on to the serious business can you outrun a tornado according to howstuffworks.com outrunning a tornado on foot is never a good idea considering how quickly a tornado moves along the ground which is typically about 50 kilometres an hour however Greg Carbin the warning coordination meteorologist for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Storm Prediction Center it's still possible you just have to know what direction the tornado is moving if you know these things there's a good chance you can actually get out of the way but Carbon emphasizes that you have to these things your best bet is to out drive the tornado however there are a lot of factors that go into a successful escape while most tornadoes move along the ground at around 50 kilometres an hour the fastest twister on record races across the ground at 117 so you can't count on outrunning a tornado at designated speed limits then there's the trajectory of the tornado you may be counting on its tendency to move in a straight line but they've been known to suddenly veer off course but this is you trying to evade the tornado brainerd imagine there are some people who get a major thrill from chasing them down but as the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention warns do not try to outrun a tornado in your car unsurprisingly 13% of the 1,200 people who died due to tornado related deaths were in their vehicles so are there some real-life stories of folks out running or out driving tornadoes Esquire magazine reported an anecdote of a 39 year old man who was lifted a hundred yards by a tornado that leveled his Missouri home reportedly when Rick and his son Craig felt the house shimmy he encouraged them all to get into the tub since it was the heaviest piece of furniture in the house Rick reports that when the tornado hit his home it was like a big tidal wave hitting it he says it was the loudest thing that he's ever heard in his life almost like a 747 flying right above his head then before he knew it the tornado uprooted part of his bathroom with him in it Rick remembers a lot of spinning and before he knew it he found himself lying on the ground with a punctured lung three cracked ribs a broken shoulder blade and an ear that was barely hanging on yeah then there's the Arkansas couple who collided with a tornado they reported that the sky got very dark very quickly before they could react their truck and trailer were swept by the tornado luckily the couple survived but we can't say the same for their truck and trailer you can even watch the video on youtube if you're curious what it's like to be swept up by a twister so what can you do if you come face-to-face with a tornado Branyan what's the best course of action to ensure your survival well first things first if you live in an area prone to tornadoes be sure to have a plan you can find suggestions on your local governments website and if you're like Brainerd who's only visiting these areas watch out for days with rain and reported high winds tornadoes are still difficult to predict but you can guarantee that you won't be coming towards one if you plan your excursions on a sunny day if you're indoors and a tornado hits move to the basement of the building's lowest possible floor another option is to find a hallway or stairwell the more walls between you and the tornado of the better you can also stick yourself under a sturdy piece of furniture don't forget to protect your head it's important that you stay away from the windows in case they break or shatter now if you're outdoors and a tornado is approaching find a ditch depression or ravine in the ground lie flat and again cover your head we need to protect those money making good looks here's Brainerd finally if you do find yourself in a car it's important that you don't try to outrun a tornado and definitely don't be like that Arkansas couple who drove into one either instead Drive a 90-degree angle away from the storm although tornadoes can veer off their straight pathway it's unlikely that it'll take any sharp turns the most important thing to remember on all of this is that most deaths in the event of a tornado are not caused by folks getting swept up in the high gust winds but rather the flying debris that follows so protect your head at all costs and watch out for any flying bison Brainerd your cars here brand new you're all set to go would you look at that the storm is already coming down you're in the clear oh where to next Florida as in another tornado prone area whatever toots your horn Brainard until next time [Music]

Channel: Brainiac

Views: 81,541

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Keywords: science of tornadoes, how to survive a tornado, tornado, difference between tornado and hurricane, drive through a tornado, inside a tornado, how to escape a tornado, brainiac, storms

Id: zgG85JPbdp0

Length: 10min 23sec (623 seconds)

Published: Sat Apr 18 2020