deadliest tornadoes

.docx

School

Collin County Community College District *

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Course

1301

Subject

Geography

Date

Oct 30, 2023

Type

docx

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Uploaded by MegaWillpowerDuck14

Tornadoes cause devastating destruction in spring, causing homes and families to fall apart. In 2011, the worst tornado season since 1925, over 1,600 tornadoes struck the United States, resulting in 550 deaths and a multi-billion-dollar trail of destruction. To prevent future disasters, a better warning system is needed, which requires a better understanding of tornadoes. Researchers at the University of Oklahoma are working to crack the code of tornadoes, aiming to gather data as often as possible to improve prediction and save lives. The most destructive incident occurred on May 22nd, with a single tornado touching down. A massive tornado hits Joplin, Missouri, killing over 160 people and injuring hundreds more, destroying thousands of homes and leaving neighborhoods in shock. The tornado spins at over 200 miles an hour, devouring everything in its path. Survivors of the tornado, including Adam Wright and Sandy Booth, describe the fear and uncertainty they felt when they realized their homes were gone. A better warning system is needed to prevent such disasters, as tornado warnings are often too late to save lives. Meteorologist Greg Carbin, who coordinates warnings at the Storm Prediction Center, explains that while thunderstorms can be predicted days in advance and detected within hours of forming, tornadoes are born in minutes. The most effective prediction tool today is Doppler radar, which works by firing microwave pulses at raindrops to reveal their distance, speed, and direction. The amount of lead time between a tornado warning and its strike is crucial, as it allows people to avoid traffic jams, get out, and be safe. Developing a better warning system is essential for ensuring the safety of communities and preventing future disasters. Doppler radar, which provides an average lead time of 13 minutes, is not failsafe and requires people on the ground to report local conditions. Tornadoes are a rapidly rotating column of air that forms when cold air descends with rain and hail, wrapping around the circulation. Most tornadoes are small and local, with wind speeds less than 110 miles an hour. The most extreme tornadoes are two-miles wide, with 300 mile-an-hour winds, and travel hundreds of miles. However, scientists are still trying to understand why some thunderstorms produce tornadoes and others don't. Only a small fraction of them go on to produce tornadoes. Howard Bluestein at the University of Oklahoma is working on improving lead time by searching for tornadoes in Tornado Alley, a wide swathe of land between the Rocky and Appalachian mountains. In April 2011, 155 tornadoes touched down in 16 states, causing 38 deaths. This was one of the largest single system tornado outbreaks in U.S. history. To answer this question, Greg compares the April 2011 outbreak to previous seasons, using a system that compares forecasts to historic weather events of the past. However, the data shows signs of similarity to the November 2002 event, which saw nearly 40 fatalities associated with that event. Some meteorologists believe that the upcoming event could be even worse than the 2002 Veterans Day outbreak.

A tantalizing clue lies off the coast of Peru in July 2010, where ocean buoys record unusually cold sea surface temperatures called "La Niña." Scientists discovered that the huge expanse of cool La Niña water could affect the surrounding atmosphere and the jet stream, shifting severe weather into new areas and intensifying it in places like the southern United States. In 2011, a strong La Niña in the wintertime set up a strong jet stream that provided wind speed energy for thunderstorms, which led to rainfall, floods, droughts, and wildfires across the southern United States. This combination of factors made it more conducive to large tornadic outbreaks than in other years. One of the worst tornado events in history, the "Super Outbreak" of April 1974, occurred during a La Niña year, with a hundred-forty-eight twisters hitting 13 states from Mississippi to New York, killing 330 people and injuring thousands. In 2011, violent storms erupt in Vilonia, Arkansas, causing 52 hours of deadly tornadoes. The worst day was the 27th of April, when a mile-and-a-half-wide tornado cut through the heart of Tuscaloosa, leveling entire blocks and tossing trees and power poles around like toothpicks. The 52-hour onslaught produced 343 tornadoes, the most ever recorded in a single outbreak. Families in trailer homes and timber-framed houses lost everything. Forecasters have relied on ground observations and weather balloons to warn them of storms, but the odds are way against it, even in weather like this. Doppler radar was introduced in 1973, allowing scientists to see the hook echo signaling that rotation had begun. Powerful computers that could analyze vast amounts of data helped get the tornado lead time to today's 13-minute average. Most forecasters believe that a breakthrough will come only by unlocking more detail on exactly how a tornado forms. Howie Bluestein and his team intend to develop a new Doppler radar to carry on their truck, which could give them enough data to create a computer model to evaluate future storms. The supercell storm, which starts with air clashing and spinning horizontally, needs to go vertical to turn into a tornado. Researchers are working on understanding the mechanisms that create spin near the ground, which could help "reverse-engineer" a tornado. Howie Brown's new mobile radar can scan the sky every two seconds and capture the size of raindrops, hail, and debris. Howie is hoping to get close to a tornado with his new radar, which scans in minute detail. However, there are no tornadoes on the horizon today. May is usually the most active month for tornadoes, and this year, after a record April, we were headed for a record May with the fewest tornado events on record. On May 22, a large thunderstorm heads towards Joplin, Missouri, and an enormous EF-5 tornado touches down. Tim Marshall wants to help people survive the worst that nature can throw at them by analyzing the mangled mess left behind by tornadoes and using this knowledge to strengthen buildings to withstand tornadoes.

In late May, more storms are heading for towns all over Oklahoma. Gary England, who has 40 years of experience, goes live from Oklahoma City, forecasting trouble and advising people to take particular precautions. He warns that if you live on Chickasha, take your tornado precautions, as it is another giant tornado. A string of tornadoes touches down in Oklahoma, spinning at 200 miles an hour, and causing a life-and-death situation in Piedmont. The first tornado was the sixth EF-5 of the year, but only nine people were killed in Oklahoma compared to over 160 deaths in Joplin. In El Reno, tornado precautions are crucial due to the devastating 2011 tornado. Many Oklahomans have a safe room built to withstand an EF-5, which saved eight lives in Piedmont. However, the cost of such shelters is too high for many people to afford. Researchers at Texas Tech are simulating tornadoes to find cheaper ways to make ordinary structures more robust. The tornadoes are based on the mid-EF-3 range, as about 92% of all tornadoes fall in that range. Structural engineers at Texas Tech are also researching debris impact, trying to replicate the forces of the worst tornadoes like the EF-5 that hit Joplin. They aim to develop codes that dictate if people live in tornado-prone areas should consider reinforcing structures or building structures in specific ways. One important concern is the national radar system, which has 159 fixed Doppler radars across the country, not enough to get full coverage of the lower atmosphere. Researchers are working on a solution using radar stations closer to the ground and scanning the skies faster. A prototype was put to test during the 2011 tornado season, and one of the large EF-4 tornadoes in Newcastle, Oklahoma, within several miles of one of these radars, rounded up around 1,000 people and got them in the shelter. Oklahoma-based meteorologist Kim Klockow is studying how people react to tornado warnings, finding that people often wait until they see a tornado heading their way, which can be too late. Kim's findings will be used to revise how tornado warnings are issued in the future, but the Holy Grail is to extend lead time to give people time to get out of the way. New data on raindrop size, speed, and direction could help scientists prove how the size of raindrops influences tornado formation. A narrow dry band with no rain or hail could be another clue in tornado genesis. These findings will be integrated into a computer model to help forecasters predict deadly tornadoes earlier, increasing lead time and saving lives.

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