Tornadoes in the USA. The most famous tornado in the US

The USA is a prosperous country. In which many would like to live or simply to visit. However, as there is no thin without good, so there are no ideal places to stay. In America, natural cataclysms often occur: it is regularly flooded with torrential rains, strong tornadoes and tornadoes often sweep over it. These natural phenomena are so strong that literally can sweep a small town.

But almost the most misfortunes are brought by tornadoes in the United States. Every year they leave the inhabitants homeless over their heads, and also kill hundreds of people.

This natural phenomenon is of particular interest for fans of thrill. There is hardly anyone who has not heard about tornado hunters. They examine it from the inside, they know how this force will behave and what to expect of it.

The birth of a tornado

This natural disaster occurs when there are two atmospheric fronts - cold and warm. It represents a very strong vortex. There is a tornado in the US from the so-called mother cloud. This is an ordinary dark cloud, which is full before a thunderstorm. That's why ordinary citizens rarely can foresee the disaster, because it looks like it looks the same as usual.

In this cloud, a funnel is formed, as the cold air tends to lower all the way down, and the warm air rises upward. The rapid movement of the atmosphere in a spiral leads to the fact that the vortex can descend to the ground or remain hanging in the air.

As already noted, a tornado is an atmospheric vortex of a terrible destructive force that is born on the border of warm and cold atmospheric fronts. Birth - a fairly accurate term, because there is a natural disaster from the "mother cloud" - a thundercloud, which at the first stage is completely harmless and does not cause any suspicion among civilians.

When the tornado reaches the ground, it begins to "crawl" along it. Hurricane tornado moves chaotically, to predict the trajectory of its path is impossible. This makes the vortex particularly dangerous, since it is never known what to do and where to run, if a person is in an open area.

The time of the riot of the tornado in the US is also difficult to predict - from a few seconds to hours.

A person caught in the epicenter of a vortex can die not only from falling from a great height, but also from collision with other objects that a hurricane sweeps in its path.

Hunters for a tornado

Not all people are caught unawares. Some extreme scientists deliberately seek encounters with destructive power in order to study this natural monster, understand the principles of its behavior and learn how to curb vortices. Some seek to get inside for the thrill and a vivid impression, others want to make discoveries that will help to avoid further destruction.

Such people are called just like hunters for a tornado.

The murderous phenomenon is pursued on cars equipped with a variety of devices and video equipment. Such hobby though also it is extremely dangerous, however gets every year more and more admirers who are ready to risk a life for the sake of invaluable staff and measurements.

In search of danger

Most of the tornadoes in the world are found in the United States of America. There is even a term - Alley. It is located in such states: Texas, South Dakota, Kansas, Oklahoma, Missouri. This is a conditional line on which the probability of the appearance of a deadly vortex is especially high, since it is here that cold and warm atmospheric fronts meet. The largest number of tornadoes is in Texas.

Statistics show that along this line a tornado in the United States occurs about a thousand times in one year. And although from the middle of the last century all the whirlwinds are carefully fixed, it is practically impossible to trace the beginning of each one, since it is difficult to notice small objects, and their appearance is unpredictable.

The tornado alley is located between the Appalachian mountains and the Rocky Mountains. This area is characterized by dry frequent droughts, and it is on it is located the meeting place of hot air with a wet one.

It also recorded a kind of "coven" vortex, when simultaneously played out 37 tornadoes of different capacities. This happened in 1965. Then many settlements were badly affected.

What happens in the heart of the storm

The pressure inside the funnel is very low, so the difference between the center and the extreme zones is formed. The focus is also called the zone of tranquility, or the eye.

This phenomenon was discovered by a journalist from France, Molan, when he ventured to fly through the horror of a tornado to see what was happening inside this monster.

Later it was confirmed by witnesses of a natural disaster in one of the states. A whirlwind flew over their heads without touching the ground, so they could see his "insides".

Differential pressure leads to the fact that objects that fall inside are simply torn to pieces. There is a case when a tornado in America "plucked" chickens. Capturing the birds, after a while he released them, but left without feathers. This phenomenon is explained by the fact that at the base of the feathers there is an air cushion that has ruptured and separated them from the skin of the birds.

Types of tornadoes

There are several types of vortices that depend on the place of appearance, the material (sand, water, air), intensity and even shape.

Most often there are beech-like, or scourge tornadoes. In the world, such tornadoes occur almost everywhere, where there is a collision of atmospheric fronts.

Such objects are thin, straight or sinuous, "sprouting" from the cloud to the ground.

Less so rarely appear so-called vague copies. A large radius of coverage and similarity to a simple cloud that sank to the ground is the main danger of such a tornado. The photo of this option can easily be confused with a thunderstorm low cloud, but its power is enough to destroy the house and raise the car.

The most important thing is to beware of the composite. These are several small eddies, which are united by one common funnel. By appearance they are similar to bispid, but they represent a serious danger.

In the form of a tornado can resemble an hourglass, a cascade, a glass, etc.

Where to go in search of a tornado

A win-win place is the plain states between the Appalachians and the Rocky Mountains. This is the territory of the modern states of Missouri, Illinois, Oklahoma, Kansas and others located on this strip. If time is not so much, then it's worth to immediately go to Texas, because there, due to geographical location, most often the elements are riotous.

Many tornadoes in the United States hurt several states at once, so one can only imagine the destructive power of such a tornado.

Do not disregard disasters and states such as Indiana and Florida. They are less likely to encounter strong whirlwinds, but they are increasingly visiting this area, rather than other places in the world.

In any case, before you go in pursuit of this phenomenon of nature, it is worth carefully preparing for the riots of the tornado. Photos should not cost a living.

Some statistics

Hundreds of people become victims of deadly tornadoes every year. Among all the features of the hurricane, the greatest danger is the strength and unpredictability of the funnel. There are no laws, except chaos, on which one could foresee the trajectory of the movement.

The speed of the tornado is simply staggering. Sometimes the wind of the vortex can overcome over 400 kilometers per hour on the surface, in the heart - from 20 meters per second and even up to 1,300 kilometers per hour. Such a tornado can demolish not only small private houses, but also brick buildings of decent size.

It's unreal to walk away from the tornado post. First, the speed of movement over the surface varies from 30 km / h and up to 70. At the same time, the diameter of the vortex can exceed 300 meters. Plus the unpredictability of the movement.

Official studies have made it possible to create a scale for assessing the destructive power of the vortex - Fujita. According to her testimony, 5 degrees of tornado intensity are distinguished.

The terrible tornadoes of the first half of the last century

Officially, the records of the occurrence of tornadoes, their capacity, the territory of the movement began to be conducted in America only in 1950. However, before this, one can also find data on the largest vortices.

The earliest documented mention is about the Mettunsky tornado in the US, which swept over the country on May 26, 1917. Then the element claimed hundreds of lives.

Perhaps the most famous is the tornado, which took place in three states - Illinois, Indiana and Missouri. It was a vague hurricane with a radius of over one and a half kilometers. Then there was no Fujita scale yet, but modern scientists are confident that the strength of the storm can be estimated no lower than F5, and this is the highest degree of danger. Then the number of deaths reached almost 700, and the number of survivors, but the injured person - about 2000.

Legendary tornadoes of the century before last

In May 1840, Mississippi shuddered from the strongest whirlwind that raged in the city of Natchez. This is the first and so far the only tornado in which the number of dead has exceeded the number of victims.

This paradox is explained by the unexpectedness and unprecedented force of the funnel. In addition, official data do not represent a reliable picture. The height of the trade of black slaves and their merciless exploitation led to the fact that no one else could consider the workforce.

Modern scientists estimate the strength of the hurricane in 5 points.

The loss, which brought a tornado, at that time amounted to more than a million dollars. The amount for those times is almost cosmic.

The most expensive tornado

Another tragedy was brought by the 1986 tornado, which crashed everything in St. Louis, Missouri. Then he killed 255 people (this is only official statistics). To count the exact number of casualties nevertheless is not possible, since many bodies simply washed away into the river. And only some of them were found after.

More than 1,000 people applied for help from doctors. Above 9000 buildings were destroyed or partially damaged.

The total value of the loss in terms of the current exchange rate is more than $ 3 billion. Approximately so much money was required for the reconstruction of the city of Joplin in 2011 after a similarly strong tornado.

But even such a monster is not the most powerful. Its mark is F4.

Sudden tornadoes that prevented playing

As you know, the elements do not tolerate and do not count with a person. This once again confirmed the vortex of 2012, which took place in the US during the Open Tennis Tournament. One of America's most prestigious competitions was in jeopardy because of the raging tornado in New York. Eyewitnesses say that the noise from the crater resembled an approaching train. Fortunately, this whirlwind did not lead to the death of people.

In parallel, a surfing competition took place on the coast, which was also hastily interrupted.

Notification about the approach of tornadoes

Areas of increased tornado activity are the USA and Australia. The hurricane season begins in June and ends in December. And the peak is from August to October. Funnels that arise in this area can reach a couple of kilometers, and that's enough to wipe out a small town or village from the face of the earth.

That is why to predict the appearance of a tornado in this territory is not just important, but vital.

It is noteworthy that even houses on the line of special riots are built according to a special plan - each of them must have a basement antitonad room, strong and resistant to the influence of water and fire, so that dwellers can quickly and reliably take cover.

Also, there is a system for reporting vortices. In such places there are special sirens, which warn residents about their appearance. But to inform about the approach of danger for today it is possible not earlier than for 15 minutes.

Going in pursuit of the unknown

Honor and praise are fearless, who decided to try their luck and chased the tornado. If you also want to repeat their feat, the first thing you need to know is this activity does not tolerate loneliness, there must be at least one partner with you.

Check the technique hundreds of times. The camera, car, navigation systems should work properly and be as resistant to moisture and dust as possible.

And take care of yourself - this is important. After all, in pursuit of successful personnel, you can lose the most valuable - life. Tornadoes and tornadoes are pitiless, do not expose themselves to unjustified risk.