What Causes a Tornado? The swirling, funnel-shaped winds of a tornado
are easily recognizable—and they can be very dangerous. But what causes these unique and violent weather
phenomena? Tornados usually begin with a thunderstorm. But not just any thunderstorm—a specific
kind of rotating thunderstorm called a supercell. They can bring damaging hail, strong winds,
lightning and flash floods. Supercells form when air becomes very unstable
and wind speed and direction are different at different altitudes. This condition is called wind shear. Wind shear is common in the formation of most
thunderstorms. But when wind at ground level is blowing in
one direction… …and wind higher up in the atmosphere blows
in a different direction …it can cause a horizontal tube of air to
form. In a thunderstorm, warm air rises up within
the storm. This is called an updraft. An updraft can turn a horizontal rotating
tube of air into a vertical one. When this happens, the whole storm begins
rotating, creating a supercell. Some supercells form a funnel cloud. And if that funnel cloud extends to the ground,
it is called a tornado. Tornados can produce winds up to 300 miles
per hour at the surface, making them dangerous to people and property. As a tornado moves along the ground, its strong
winds begin to pick up debris, too. In fact, flying debris is usually what causes
the most damage in a storm. Thankfully, meteorologists are keeping an
eye on your local weather. They will try to give you a heads up if a
tornado is likely to form in your area. They combine wind and temperature readings
form the ground with information from satellites to determine if your local weather has the
right conditions for a tornado. For example, NOAA’s GOES-East satellite
captures this video of an isolated supercell storm in Texas. The different colors represent different cloud
top temperatures in the storm. Colder temperatures represent higher cloud
tops, which often mean stronger storms. So, if you see a tornado watch or warning
in your area, look for updates and get to safety as soon as possible. And know that NOAAs GOES-R series satellites
will still be keeping a close eye on things from orbit. Find out more about extreme weather at NOAA
SciJInks!
