Why might weakening tornadoes be even more dangerous than the same tornado in it

Question

Why might weakening tornadoes be even more dangerous than the same tornado in its strongest state?

Why is thunder seldom heard in hurricanes? Where would thunderstorms and tornadoes typically form in hurricanes? How strong are they normally? Why are tornadoes only an issue with land-falling hurricanes?

Sometimes thunderstorms split off, or a new storm would form and move in a different direction from the original. Why might this happen? Which direction or flank from the original storm would a severe thunderstorm be most likely to form?

Explanation / Answer

A tornado is a violently rotating column of air that extends from the bottom of a cumuliform cloud, such as a thunderstorm, to the ground. Tornadoes are often (but not always) visible as afunnel cloud. It is important to never confuse a tornado with a hurricane or other tropical cyclone because tornadoes and hurricanes are very different phenomena. Perhaps the only similarity between tornadoes and hurricanes is that they both contain strong rotating winds that can cause damage.

There are many differences between tornadoes and hurricanes. The largest tornado every observed was 4 km (2.5 mi) wide, and most tornadoes are < 0.8 km (0.5 mi) wide. The parent storm clouds that produce tornadoes are generally about 16 km (10 mi) wide. Hurricanes, however, are typically much larger, ranging from about 160 km (100) mi to 1600 km (1000 mi) wide (see Hurricane Structure and Primary Circulation). A tornado

Related Questions

Navigate

• Browse (All)
• Browse W
• Subjects

Integrity-first tutoring: explanations and feedback only — we do not complete graded work. Learn more.