101. Tornadoes You are viewing the technical text. tornadoes. A tornado is defined as a violently rotating column of air in contact with the ground that originated from http://www.ace.mmu.ac.uk/eae/Weather/Older/Tornadoes.html

Tornadoes A tornado is defined as a violently rotating column of air in contact with the ground that originated from the base of a cumulonimbus cloud . They can be highly destructive but fortunately are relatively small in comparison to other extreme weather phenomena such as thunderstorms and hurricanes . The tornado can be seen by the rapid rotation of cloud caught up within it. Tornadoes are also known popularly as "twisters". Tornadoes are particularly common in the central United States. Tornadoes can be categorised as "weak", "strong", and "violent". Weak tornadoes, making up about 70% of all tornadoes, often have a thin, rope-like appearance. Rotating wind speeds are no greater than about 110 mph. "Strong" tornadoes, making up nearly 30% of all tornadoes, often exhibit the more "classic" funnel-shaped cloud associated with the whirling air column. Rotating wind speeds vary from 110 to 200 mph. The most violent tornadoes are relatively rare, making up only 2% of all tornado cases. Rotating wind speeds in "violent" tornadoes can approach speeds close to 300 mph. Most tornadoes form in the presence of thunderstorms . All thunderstorms are characterised by rising or convecting air, called updrafts. These updrafts supply the warm, humid air that fuels thunderstorms. In some cases, the column of rising air becomes a vortex - a funnel cloud or tornado. Often, a tornado is located on the edge of the updraft, adjacent to the thunderstorm downdraft that accompanies the falling rain or

102. CNN - Floyd Spawns Tornadoes En Route To Carolinas - September 16, 1999 CNN http://www.cnn.com/WEATHER/9909/16/floyd.01/index.html

MAIN PAGE WORLD U.S. LOCAL ... daily almanac MULTIMEDIA: video video archive audio multimedia showcase ... more services E-MAIL: Subscribe to one of our news e-mail lists. Enter your address: document.write(' '); Or: Get a free e-mail account E-MAIL DISCUSSION: message boards chat feedback CNN WEB SITES: AsiaNow Svenska Norge Danmark ... Italian FASTER ACCESS: europe japan TIME INC. SITES: Go To ... Time.com People Money Fortune EW CNN NETWORKS: more networks transcripts SITE INFO: help contents search ad info ... jobs WEB SERVICES: Floyd spawns tornadoes en route to Carolinas Satellite animation of Hurricane Floyd over North and South Carolina FLOYD INFORMATION: STORM NAVIGATOR Launch Hurricane Floyd location maps , including statistics on past hurricanes, damage simulation, more LATEST FORECAST, WARNINGS National Hurricane Center 1 a.m. EDT Thursday CATEGORY: POSITION: 33.3 N, 78.1 W about 70 miles (112 km) south of Wilmington, North Carolina MOVEMENT: Moving toward the north-northeast at nearly 18 mph (29 km/h) WIND SPEED: 110 mph (176 km/h) maximum sustained winds Hurricane force winds extend outward up to 115 miles (184 km) Tropical storm force winds extend outward up to 260 miles (416 km) HURRICANE WARNING: From north of Edisto Beach, South Carolina, to Cape Henlopen, Delaware, including Pamlico and Albemarle Sounds and the Chesapeake Bay south of Smith Point

103. The Cause Of Tornadoes. tornadoes are caused by clouds rising and creating a vacuum below them. http://nov55.com/tor.html

NOV Science Criticism Gary Novak, Biologist Home Prions Relativity Global Warming ... Fluoride The Cause of Tornadoes Tornadoes are caused when a cloud of the right size precipitates rapidly releasing heat, which causes it to rise, and creates a vacuum under it. Air rushing under it creates the vortex. It is known that a sudden drop in air pressure precedes tornadoes. The pressure drop is caused by a cloud near the ground rising rapidly creating a partial vacuum below it. The vacuum seems to be quite noticeable, as persons who were near tornadoes often mention it. Precipitation releases as much heat as evaporation absorbs. But precipitation tends to be much faster than evaporation. So a very large amount of heat is released when a cloud precipitates. Heat of course causes air to rise. When a cloud near the ground rises, it creates a partial vacuum under it. The cloud must be the right size for a tornado to occur. A very large cloud would not precipitate uniformly, so the whole cloud would not rise at once. A very small cloud would not produce enough precipitation or heat to create a large enough vacuum for a tornado to form. Also, the height from the ground would be important, because the speed at which the air moves in rushing under it will depend upon the amount of space below the cloud.

104. CNN - At Least 3 Missing After Florida Tornadoes Kill 39 - February 24, 1998 CNN http://www.cnn.com/WEATHER/9802/25/florida.cleanup/index.old.html

COMMUNITY Message Boards Chat Feedback SITE SOURCES Contents Help! Search CNN Networks SPECIALS Quick News Almanac Video Vault News Quiz At least 3 missing after Florida tornadoes kill 39 Clinton to tour disaster area Wednesday In this story: Stories of loss, survival Federal aid is coming Related stories and sites February 25, 1998 Web posted at: 11:47 a.m. EST (1647 GMT) KISSIMMEE, Florida (CNN) Searchers sifted through debris and combed fields Tuesday, looking for any sign of those still missing after a wave of tornadoes killed at least 39 people and injured scores more in central Florida. "We're hopeful ... but realistically we're looking for deceased," said Jeff Hall, fire chief for Osceola County. At least three people were still missing Tuesday night, one from the tornado-devastated Ponderosa Park Campground. Three others listed as missing from the campground were found alive at a hospital. President Clinton planned a trip Wednesday to survey the damage from the deadliest disaster in Florida since Hurricane Andrew hit in 1992. As many as 12 tornadoes struck early Monday, the product of an El Nino-related storm system. The series of twisters left mobile home parks looking like junk yards, wrecked cars piled up in heaps and roofs ripped off houses.

105. CNN.com - Weather - Alabama Tornadoes Claim 12 Lives - December 17, 2000 CNN http://cnn.com/2000/WEATHER/12/17/alabama.tornado.03/index.html

Editions myCNN Video Audio ... Feedback CNN Sites CNN CNN Europe CNNfn CNNSI myCNN CNNfyi AllPolitics Languages Search CNN.com CNNSI.com CNNfn.com The Web TOP STORIES Bush signs order opening 'faith-based' charity office for business Rescues continue 4 days after devastating India earthquake DaimlerChrysler employees join rapidly swelling ranks of laid-off U.S. workers Disney's GO.com is a goner ... MORE MARKETS 4:30pm ET, 4/16 DJIA NAS SPORTS Jordan says farewell for the third time ... LOCAL EDITIONS: CNN.com Europe change default edition MULTIMEDIA: video video archive audio multimedia showcase ... more services E-MAIL: Subscribe to one of our news e-mail lists Enter your address: DISCUSSION: chat feedback CNN WEB SITES: CNNfyi.com CNN.com Europe AsiaNow Spanish ... Korean Headlines TIME INC. SITES: Go To ... Time.com People Money Fortune EW CNN NETWORKS: CNN anchors transcripts Turner distribution SITE INFO: help contents search ad info ... jobs WEB SERVICES: Alabama tornadoes claim 12 lives Marcus Galloway sweeps away debris Sunday outside a store in Geneva, Alabama In this story: 'You didn't know if you were going to live' Tornado damage throughout the state RELATED STORIES, SITES

106. Gorgons, Tornadoes, And Plasmoid Phenomena - Paper By Edward Lewis 82) while growing bigger; and like tornadoes and Matsumoto s and K. Like tornadoes(7), some gorgons have been seen to be cylinders composed of disks http://www.padrak.com/ine/ELEWIS4.html

Return to the INE Main Page Gorgons, Tornadoes, and Plasmoid Phenomena Edward Lewis P. O. Box 13050 Chicago, Illinois 60613 April 28, 1996 revised May 24, 1996 [Received via email to INE, June 1996. Revised Oct. 1996.] [Reposted Nov. 15, 1996.] Gorgons, Tornadoes, and Plasmoid Phenomena A few years ago, I found a wonderful book(1) that was written by Egon Bach about phenomena from volcanoes, vents, and even just the plain flat earth surface that he calls gorgons, after the ancient Greek name for god-monsters from volcanoes. He seems to have worked for many years to collect evidence and formulate his ideas. My plasmoid ideas are not much like his ideas though. Gorgons are a type of plasmoid. By learning about these plasmoids, one can learn about other types such as those produced in apparatus. I want to introduce this book and explain how these phenomena are identical to plasmoids and tornadoes since they behave like other plasmoids and even interconvert to them, and show application to understanding the "cold fusion" phenomena. Like tornadoes(7), some gorgons have been seen to be cylinders composed of disks stacked upon each other, and people have seen such sheer apart into many flying disks (p. 166). Recently, a video of a "white cylinder" that was a half mile long traveling very fast about 75000 feet over Colorado and that was apparently also photographed in another state a little later was featured on Paranormal Borderlines(8). It was luminous and rapidly exhibited a variety of changing colors and seems to have been layered or somewhat segmented. The object was videotaped very recently, perhaps a month ago. E. Bach reports information about other pictures or studies of similar objects. There actually are many reports of gorgons spouting out tornado-like funnels or funnels joining together with a gorgon. Large gorgons may convert to tornadoes (p. 71).

107. CNN - Tornadoes Rip Southern Minnesota; Young Boy Killed - March 30, 1998 CNN http://www.cnn.com/WEATHER/9803/30/minnesota.tornadoes/index.html

COMMUNITY Message Boards Chat Feedback SITE SOURCES Contents Help! Search CNN Networks SPECIALS Quick News Almanac Video Vault News Quiz Tornadoes rip southern Minnesota; young boy killed A series of tornadoes swept across southern Minnesota Sunday, destroying much of Comfrey March 30, 1998 Web posted at: 7:37 a.m. EST (1237 GMT) ST. PETER, Minnesota (CNN) Minnesota officials were preparing clean-up operations Monday less than 24 hours after tornadoes leveled homes across the southern part of the state. A six-year-old boy was killed and more than two dozen residents were injured including three critically. Officials said about 200 people were left homeless from the twisters and that they feared others might be trapped beneath rubble. A L S O : Image Gallery: Tornado destruction in St. Peter, Minnesota Hardest hit were the towns of St. Peter in south-central Minnesota and Comfrey in southwestern Minnesota, where tornadoes gutted the towns' centers. Twisters flattened homes, uprooted trees and shattered storefronts "It's devastating," said St. Peter Police Chief Brad Coleman. "The damage is very extensive and not confined to just one area. It took a path through the main part of the city."

108. CNN.com - Tornadoes, Storms Cause Damage In Arkansas - May 28, 2000 CNN http://cnn.com/2000/WEATHER/05/28/arkstorms.ap/index.html

weather CNN Sites CNN CNNfn CNNSI myCNN AllPolitics Languages myCNN Video Audio Headline News Brief ... Feedback CNN Sites CNN CNN Europe CNNfn CNNSI myCNN CNNfyi AllPolitics Languages Search CNN.com CNNSI.com CNNfn.com The Web WEATHER TOP STORIES MORE TOP STORIES More than 11,000 killed in India quake Israelis, Palestinians make final push before Israeli election Davos protesters face tear gas MORE ... MORE MARKETS 4:30pm ET, 4/16 DJIA NAS SPORTS Jordan says farewell for the third time ... LOCAL EDITIONS: CNN.com Europe change default edition MULTIMEDIA: video video archive audio multimedia showcase ... more services E-MAIL: Subscribe to one of our news e-mail lists Enter your address: DISCUSSION: chat feedback CNN WEB SITES: CNNfyi.com CNN.com Europe AsiaNow Spanish ... Korean Headlines TIME INC. SITES: Go To ... Time.com People Money Fortune EW CNN NETWORKS: CNN anchors transcripts Turner distribution SITE INFO: help contents search ad info ... jobs WEB SERVICES: Tornadoes, storms cause damage in Arkansas May 28, 2000 Web posted at: 12:36 AM EDT (0436 GMT) LEACHVILLE, Ark. (AP) Thunderstorms and tornadoes damaged homes and downed trees and power lines in northern Arkansas Saturday, injuring at least one person. Five people died in traffic accidents. A tornado touched down near Leachville, in the northeast corner of Arkansa, Arkansas State Police said. At least one person was injured, authorities said.

109. CNN.com - Special Reports - Tornadoes Packing winds that can reach up to 300 mph, tornadoes can ravage one part of town and totally skirt another. Meteorologists knew little about the storms http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2005/tornadoes/

cnnSiteWideCurrDate = new Date(2005, 8, 26); International Edition Member Services CNN.com Home Page More CNN.com sections: World U.S. Weather Business Sports Politics Law Technology Health Entertainment Travel Education Special Reports Video Autos Special Reports Tracking down one of nature's deadliest storms Packing winds that can reach up to 300 mph, tornadoes can ravage one part of town and totally skirt another. Meteorologists knew little about the storms decades ago, but new technology and climatic studies have given them fresh insights into when and where dangerous twisters form. FULL STORY Wisconsin tornado kills one, wrecks homes Gallery Watch: Aftermath ... 2003 twister damage Tornadoes Forecasts Storms National Weather Service or Create your own Manage alerts What is this? Enter city name or U.S. Zip Code: Or select location from a list International Edition Languages Arabic Japanese Korean Turkish CNN TV CNN International Headline News Transcripts ... Terms under which this service is provided to you. Read our privacy guidelines Contact us All external sites will open in a new browser. CNN.com does not endorse external sites.

110. FEMA: Tornado Safety Tips Brochure Tornado safety tips from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. http://www.fema.gov/hazards/tornadoes/tornadof.shtm

Hazards Assistance Flood Maps NPSC ... Hazards Tornado Safety Tips Brochure Search FEMA Hazards Dam Safety Earthquakes Extreme Heat ... Mitigation Division Tornado Safety Tips Brochure Read more about Tornadoes at NOAA's Storm Prediction Center Tornado Safety Tips Brochures Tornado Safe Rooms Fact Sheet: TORNADOES When a tornado is coming, you have only a short amount of time to make life-or-death decisions. Advance planning and quick response are the keys to surviving a tornado. BEFORE Conduct tornado drills each tornado season. Designate an area in the home as a shelter, and practice having everyone in the family go there in response to a tornado threat. Discuss with family members the difference between a "tornado watch" and a "tornado warning." Contact your local emergency management office or American Red Cross chapter for more information on tornadoes. Have disaster supplies on hand Flashlight and extra batteries Portable, battery-operated radio and extra batteries First aid kit and manual Emergency food and water Nonelectric can opener Essential medicines Cash and credit cards Sturdy shoes Develop an emergency communication plan In case family members are separated from one another during a tornado (a real possibility during the day when adults are at work and children are at school), have a plan for getting back together.

111. CNN.com Specials Packing winds sometimes in excess of 300 mph, tornadoes can ravage one part of town and totally skirt another. Meteorologists knew little about the storms http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2004/tornadoes/

International Edition MEMBER SERVICES BREAKING NEWS U.S. Army soldier Lynndie England is convicted of six counts in the Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse case, The Associated Press reports. The Web CNN.com Home World U.S. Weather ... Tracking down one of nature's deadliest storms Packing winds sometimes in excess of 300 mph, tornadoes can ravage one part of town and totally skirt another. Meteorologists knew little about the storms decades ago, but new technology and climatic studies have given them fresh insights into when and where dangerous twisters form. FULL STORY Ivan spauns deadly tornados 8 dead after tornadoes strike Illinois Survivor's story ... 2003 twister damage Tornadoes Forecasts Storms National Weather Service or Create your own Manage alerts What is this? Enter city name or U.S. Zip Code: Or select location from a list International Edition Languages Arabic German Japanese Korean Turkish CNN TV CNN International Headline News Transcripts ... About Us SEARCH The Web CNN.com Terms under which this service is provided to you. Read our privacy guidelines Contact us All external sites will open in a new browser.

112. Vortex100 Storm Chase Page: Your Severe Weather Forecasting Resource Resource page. Includes a daily 5day severe weather discussion and forecast, tools for forecasting severe thunderstorms and tornadoes, and NCEP weather forecast models. http://members.aol.com/vortex100

................................................................Meteorologist Robert Lattery Your storm chase begins here with: The weather data you need, and Timely outlooks from weather professionals Try out our new Severe Weather Forum Current Conditions Site Map Links Weather Chat Severe Weather Forum ... Contact Me document.write(year) Robert Lattery

113. About - Tornadoes A tornado is a rapidly rotating column of air that extends downward from a thunderstorm cloud to the ground. http://weather.about.com/od/tornadoes/

zJs=10 zJs=11 zJs=12 zJs=13 zc(5,'jsc',zJs,9999999,'') About Homework Help Weather Tornadoes Homework Help Weather Essentials Basic meteorology ... Help w(' ');zau(256,140,140,'el','http://z.about.com/0/ip/417/C.htm','');w(xb+xb+' ');zau(256,140,140,'von','http://z.about.com/0/ip/496/7.htm','');w(xb+xb); FREE Newsletter Sign Up Now for the Weather newsletter! See Online Courses Search Weather Tornadoes A tornado is a rapidly rotating column of air that extends downward from a thunderstorm cloud to the ground. Alphabetical Recent Tornado touchdowns map This National Geographic Online map of the United States shows where recent tornado touchdowns have occurred. Zoom in to see where tornadic activity is the greatest. The Tornado Project The Tornado Project gathers, compiles, and distributes tornado information to weather enthusiasts and professionals. Find out what they're up to at their website. Going Around in Circles Access information about where tornadoes get their energy, how tornadoes effect the natural landscape, the possibilities of tornado prediction, and much more. Tornadoes This National Oceanic and Atmospheric Adminstration resource center provides answers to your frequently asked questions about tornadoes.

114. CNN - Tennessee Tornadoes Kill 8, Injure Dozens - January 18, 1999 CNN http://www.cnn.com/WEATHER/9901/18/tornado.03/index.html

MAIN PAGE WORLD ASIANOW U.S. ... news quiz CNN WEB SITES: TIME INC. SITES: Go To ... Time.com People Money Fortune EW MORE SERVICES: video on demand video archive audio on demand news email services ... pagenet DISCUSSION: message boards chat feedback SITE GUIDES: help contents search FASTER ACCESS: europe japan WEB SERVICES: Tennessee tornadoes kill 8, injure dozens A string of tornadoes leaves a trail of damage in western Tennessee INTERACTIVE: Image gallery of storm damage RELATED VIDEO CNN's Daryn Kagan reports on the damage from the tornadoes Windows Media Damage reported in 28 counties January 18, 1999 Web posted at: 10:43 a.m. EST (1543 GMT) JACKSON, Tennessee (CNN) People in western Tennessee began cleaning up and taking stock Monday after a string of tornadoes ripped through their communities Sunday night, killing at least eight people and injuring dozens. The Tennessee Emergency Management Agency on Monday revised the storm's death toll from nine to eight. Another 10 are reported missing. Hardest hit was the town of Jackson and surrounding Madison County, northeast of Memphis, where six died and at least 71 were hospitalized. Eleven of the injured were reported in critical condition early Monday. A woman was found dead in the ruins of her home in Henderson County, and another person was killed in Hardeman County.

115. Tornadoes The main difference between tornadoes and other tropical storms is that they form tornadoes form from large thunderclouds in very hot and humid weather. http://www.rcn27.dial.pipex.com/cloudsrus/tornadoes.html

Tornadoes Formation Speed Vacuums Waterspouts ... Dust devils Formation... The m twisters Sometimes these clouds can be so large that pressure in them can vary, and they therefore have their own internal winds. If these winds start to rotate, they may result in the formation of a whirling funnel. This extends downwards from the base of the thundercloud, and can often look like a piece of hosepipe or an elephants trunk. Twisters have also been compared to the funnel that forms when water is sucked down a plug-hole. Have a look next time you take the plug out of a sink full of water. Speed... Inside Vacuums... Tornad oes start off white or grey in colour, although they quickly become darker as they pick up dirt and debris from the ground. The funnel acts a bit like a large vacuum cleaner, with the low pressure at the centre causing very strong upward currents which suck up or destroy everything in their path. Tornadoes have been known to carry all sorts of objects into the air before hurling them back to the ground nearby (sometimes unharmed). The picture on the right shows a car that was picked up by a tornado. They have even been known to pluck all the feathers from a chicken! Tornadoes usually only last for about 15 minutes, but in that time they can travel hundreds of kilometres. Because of their relatively small size and short life times, they are very difficult to predict.

116. Bew! La Nature Insolite - Natureinsolite.com - Incredibleweather.com Image galleries of weather phenomena in Canada as well as tools for chasing tornadoes on the internet. Site in both English and French. http://www.incredibleweather.com/

Concerning the english version - www.incredibleweather.com Thanks to Valerie for her help to the translation of this site. This site wasn't translated by professionals so it can contain errors. If you find some, please let me know. For a more frequent update, see the french version of this site. New Cameras! M any new things on this site. More than 60 new cams have been added to the USA map and nearly 30 new cams have been added to the Canada map in the Chase Tornadoes On The Internet section. The chase will be good this year, I'm sure about that! Moreover, The Bew! Weatherchat will be a very useful tool if you are a storm chaser, because you can now discuss in real time with the other visitors of this site directly in the new chat section. Note that for compatibility reason, this section is in french. But you can go there and write in english if you want. Nobody is on the chat when you go there? No problem, you also have access to the visitor board on the Weatherchat welcome page, (in french for the same reason than above) where you can leave as many messages as you want or read other messages! Images, videos, informations, entertainments, contacts, meetings, my site gives you all that, for your pleasure and my pleasure too. Remember that there is other things than technologies and video games in life, but also nature, beautiful skies, clouds, stars...

117. Tornadoes In Kansas tornadoes are storms with rapidly rotating winds that form a funnel cloud. There have been a number of remarkable reports of tornadoes. http://www.americaslibrary.gov/cgi-bin/page.cgi/es/ks/tornado_1

Kansas A tornado in Lebanon, Kansas Tornadoes in Kansas Kansas is known for many things wheat, sunflowers ... and tornadoes! What famous story set in Kansas features a tornado? The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, by L. Frank Baum, tells the story of Dorothy, who gets caught in a Kansas tornado and lands in the imaginary land of Oz. This story has been dramatized on stage and film. You might have seen the movie version, which stars Judy Garland as Dorothy. Tornadoes are storms with rapidly rotating winds that form a funnel cloud. Also known as "twisters," they extend downward from the huge clouds of a severe thunderstorm. The winds that rotate within a tornado usually reach a speed of almost 300 miles per hour! A tornado often sweeps through an area quickly, but it can cause considerable destruction. There have been a number of remarkable reports of tornadoes. In one instance, a schoolhouse was demolished while the 85 students originally inside it were carried more than 400 feet with none killed. There was also a case of five railway coaches, each weighing 70 tons, lifted from their tracks. page 1 of 1 Library Of Congress Legal Notices Privacy Site Map ... Contact Us

118. CNN.com - At Least 13 Dead In Georgia Tornadoes - February 14, 2000 CNN http://www.cnn.com/2000/WEATHER/02/14/storms.04/index.html

weather CNN Sites CNN CNNfn CNNSI myCNN AllPolitics Languages myCNN Video Audio Headline News Brief ... Feedback CNN Sites CNN CNN Europe CNNfn CNNSI myCNN CNNfyi AllPolitics Languages Search CNN.com CNNSI.com CNNfn.com The Web WEATHER TOP STORIES MORE TOP STORIES More than 11,000 killed in India quake Israelis, Palestinians make final push before Israeli election Davos protesters face tear gas MORE ... MORE MARKETS 4:30pm ET, 4/16 DJIA NAS SPORTS Jordan says farewell for the third time ... daily almanac MULTIMEDIA: video video archive audio multimedia showcase ... more services DISCUSSION: message boards chat feedback CNN WEB SITES: AsiaNow Spanish Portuguese Italian ... Danish FASTER ACCESS: europe japan TIME INC. SITES: Go To ... Time.com People Money Fortune EW CNN NETWORKS: more networks transcripts Turner distribution SITE INFO: help contents search ad info ... jobs WEB SERVICES: At least 13 dead in Georgia tornadoes In Camilla, Georgia, police assist a man injured by a tornado on Monday Storms rake other parts of the South February 14, 2000 Web posted at: 2:03 p.m. EST (1903 GMT) In this story: 'It was awful' State of emergency in 4 counties 'Looks like a war zone' Possible twisters elsewhere ... RELATED STORIES, SITES

119. Tornadoes tornadoes are not just a phenomenon in this country; they occur on all continents but Over a thousand tornadoes are observed annually in this country, http://pao.cnmoc.navy.mil/pao/Educate/WeatherTalk2/indextornadoe.htm

TORNADOES A tornado is a localized, but extremely destructive whirlwind that descends from the base of a thunderstorm. The twisting vortex extends earthward as a projecting funnel of powerful winds that sucks up roofs, trees, farmland and forests. Unlike the gentle transport of Dorothy in the "Wizard of Oz," these nasty storms can transform a residential area or main business street into a heap of rubble in just seconds. Tornadoes are not just a phenomenon in this country; they occur on all continents but are most common in the United States and Australia. Every state in the Union, including Hawaii and Alaska, has been touched by a tornado. Over a thousand tornadoes are observed annually in this country, but not all touch the surface or do significant damage. The greatest activity occurs in April, May, and June, but no month is free of them. Action is at a minimum in December and January. The most favorable areas for tornado activity include Texas, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Missouri. Tornadoes vary greatly in size, track, and force making it difficult to provide a representative profile. More often than not the life span is limited to minutes during which they travel along a path that can vary in length from a few to many miles. Because of the variation in size and intensity the National Weather Service established 3 categories to identify them. The mini-tornado, with winds of less than 100 mph, lasts only a few minutes. The medium tornado has winds from 100-150 mph and lasts up to 20 minutes. The deadliest is the maxi-tornado with winds greater than 150 mph, lasts up to 3 hours and can cause damage along a path 1.5 miles wide and 200 miles long.

120. Two Dead As Tornadoes Hit Southwest Missouri CNN http://cnn.com/2002/WEATHER/12/18/new.missouri.storm.ap/index.html

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