Meteorology, when compared to other sciences like Physics, Mathematics, and Astronomy, is a relatively new area of study. Most advancement in meteorological technology has occurred within about the last hundred years, and because of its relatively recent development, there has not been an adequate amount of research in the subject. The science has advanced enough to now issue weather watches and warnings, including severe thunderstorm, tornado, flood, and other types. However, in the past these severe weather warnings have been highly inaccurate and unreliable, and most tornado warnings in previous years have allowed for almost no time to get to safety. Tornadoes are some of the most dangerous natural disasters to occur, and it is crucial that …show more content…
In 1986, according to Brotzge and Donner, “the tornado warning lead time was approximately five minutes” (1715). Because of the slower communication speeds at the time, a five-minute lead gave the public nearly no time to react to the warning (Howard). A large improvement began in the late 1980s to increase lead times. Completed in 1993, an upgraded WSR-88D Doppler radar was implemented, which, according to Brian Clark Howard on National Geographic, was “a new radar system that could see both the rain and the wind inside the storms.” This upgrade almost doubled the previous warning lead time (Howard). Improving still, by 2004, the average lead time for tornado warnings was 13 minutes (Brotzge and Donner 1715). While this is a drastic improvement from the five-minute lead time of the 1980s, 13 minutes may still not be enough time. An individual, for instance, does not need much time to get to safety, but large buildings holding many people need more time to follow emergency evacuation plans. For example, “a hospital might need to call in staff to help move patients or ready emergency rooms” …show more content…
Why are so many people still caught in these severe storms? One issue is the development of false alarms. A false alarm, as defined in the Bulletin of the National Meteorological Society, is “an event … forecast to occur [that] did not,” and these false alarms have created a problem that, unfortunately, does not have a simple solution. In 2003, the false-alarm rate (FAR) was 0.76, meaning that only one in every four tornado warnings was associated with an actual tornado (“Can Close Calls Help” 1529). Paul et al also confirm that the reported FAR in 2004 depicted that “a tornado does not occur within the warned area ‘nearly three out of four times’,” and while fluctuating over time, the FAR remains close to this same rate (111). While taking a “better safe than sorry” approach, forecasters have inadvertently created a problem with “over-warning” severe storms, which causes people to be more likely to ignore tornado warnings that have a low probability of producing a tornado (Paul et al. 111). A specific example of false alarms creating larger-scale problems is the famous EF-5 tornado that struck Joplin, Missouri in May 2011. According to Paul et al, the “EF-5 multiple-vortex tornado” extended to “nearly a mile in width after touching down … [and] generated at least a six-mile-long path” across the city of Joplin (108). This tornado destroyed thousands of homes,
In this paper, I will discuss what tornadoes are and how they form, what different forms of tornadoes there are, what tornado watches and warning are and give examples of tornadoes in Oklahoma and what destruction they caused, also while providing information about the Doppler radar.
Since the beginning of time there have been countless weather disasters, which include hurricanes, floods and tornadoes. Comparable to other natural disasters, there is a great deal of severe damage to properties, businesses and unfortunately loss of life. There were a total of 422 tornadoes throughout the country in 1953. Texas has endured a multitude of disastrous storms; however on May 11, 1953 there was a particular storm that forever transformed a city called Waco, Texas known as 1953 Waco Tornado.
On the afternoon of April 14, 1886, the city of Sauk Rapids in Minnesota was nearly wiped out after a tornado had struck the city. The whole city was left in complete devastation. Natural disasters have always interested me, specifically tornadoes. Something about tornadoes, whether it’d be how they form or how they acquire their power to cause great destruction, interests me to learn more about tornadoes. This led me to research about tornadoes in Minnesota. As I began surfing the internet about tornadoes that occurred in Minnesota, I came across the effects that each tornado had caused to the areas that it had struck. This is where I discovered the effects of one particular tornado called the Sauk Rapids Tornado. As I looked at the
A tornadoes form when it is humid but the ground is wet and slower winds are by the ground as the fastest wind are higher in the sky. Because of this the wind starts to circle around when the slow wind moves up higher. Rain will fall and so will a funnel which is the tornado. The reason twister in Florida left extreme damage and many houses were being fixed or covered with tarp. Today they are cleaning up the damage or debris all over town. Other places tornadoes have touched down resonantly are Virginia and North Carolina the worst one was the one in Carolina taking three lives. To not be one of those three you must find shelter once you hear the word "WARNING." if you hear "watch" then prepare to go into "WARNING." Pleas remember that.
Saturday afternoon a deadly and costly EF5 tornado hit Camillus, NY. 568 people were injured, and sadly, 8 people perished. This storm was devastating to the people of Camillus, and their families.This was the worst storm yet. The damages are approximately $9.7 million, not to mention it’s estimated to take around 2 years to rebuild the community. The most disappointing part is how long it took government agencies to help the people in need. We could have avoided so much, but the residents weren't prepared. Most of the people that had died was due to the lack of warning and the severity the storm. They didn't realize that a tornado was coming because they are so uncommon in New York. Therefore, they will arrange tornado drills at the schools;
Tornadoes can tear apart buildings, cars, forests, and can kill numerous people. In the U.S. alone, tornadoes cause 70 fatalities and 1,500 injuries on average annually (“Tornado Facts And History”). A tornado swept through Yellowstone in the late 1980’s which left a path of destruction up and down a 10,000-foot mountain (“Tornado Facts”).
Some tornado specifics can be interesting, some can be boring but these are the fascinating ones. There is a part of land in the Midwestern U.s where more than 1,000 tornadoes form. Most tornadoes only stay on the ground for less than five minutes and some tornadoes stand still while others can go on devastating speeds. The destruction tornadoes make is mostly from the debris that it picks up. More than half of tornadoes are weak and don’t cause many
It is vital for the survival of mankind that we respect and understand the severity and danger of natural forces and weather conditions. Although advances have been made in the predictions and warning systems of the National Weather Service, or NWS, we must be vigilant in our efforts to always respect what is coming. It is also imperative that we learn from the mistakes we have made in the past and grow from them. One such piece of literature which can help to do this is "Storm Warnings: The story of the a Killer Tornado", by Nancy Mathis, which depicts an amazingly horrific incident where mankind was not prepared for what was coming. The following is understanding of the events that took place on May 3rd, 1999, which showcased an amazing, and terrible, spectacle of tornadoes in Oklahoma. Furthermore we will delve into what has changed since this to better our understanding of upcoming weather related dangers as well as planning for said forces of nature.
For millions of people living near the Gulf and Atlantic coasts of the United States, a team of weather experts in Miami were helping make a difference between another hurricane disaster and safe evacuations in the wake of the oncoming storm. These experts are trained to interpret data from satellites, weather stations and specialized computer equipment to give the public advance warning of hurricanes barreling toward any shores (Treaster, 2007, p. 26).
Hurricanes and tornadoes are both severe weather events that can potentially cause a great deal of damage to property. Both of these storms can threaten human life and in severe events with either a hurricane of a tornado there may well be a loss of life. They may be quite different in how they form and what they actually do but on the other hand those storms are both potentially devastating so they fall into the same category of potential severe weather danger. People who live in areas where hurricanes and tornadoes are known to appear during certain seasons of the year are always urged to be alert to weather warning systems. Those same residents know from experience to keep their radios tuned to weather emergency stations and they are in many cases prepared for the brunt of a storm by building basement shelters.
Each year about a thousand tornadoes hit the United States, much more than any other country. Tornadoes are very dangerous in multiple ways! A tornado is a spinning cloud that has a funnel shape. They can have very rapid and high wind speeds. They sound very powerful! A tornado is made up of many factors. This paper will discuss where most tornadoes occur. How a tornado forms. The various wind speeds of a tornado. Last but not least, the sound of tornadoes.
Tornadoes can be very dangerous and destructive. Because of this fact, the National Weather Service issues tornado watches and warnings. A tornado watch is issued to alert people of the possibility of tornado development in your area. A tornado warning, on the other hand, is issued when a tornado has actually been sighted or is indicated by
A tornado is defined as a violently rotating column extending from a thunderstorm to the ground. The most violent tornadoes are capable of tremendous destruction with wind speeds of two hundred and fifty miles per hour or more. Damage paths can be more than one mile wide and fifty miles long. In an average year, eight hundred tornadoes are reported nationwide, resulting in eighty deaths and over one thousand five hundred injuries. In the body of my essay, I will tell you about types of tornadoes, where tornadoes come from, where and when tornadoes occur, the damage they inflict, variations of tornadoes, and how to detect tornadoes.
For instance, the author declares, “…residents of the United States have a lot of warning before a hurricane.”(Perry, page 49, paragraph 3) Although some may not be fortunate enough to have a warning, most U.S. citizens receive a warning of a hurricane days before it strikes. This is very unlike tornados, however, for people in areas where tornados often form never know where or if one will form. Scientists can identify types of conditions that can possibly form a tornado, but they cannot be one-hundred percent sure until it actually forms. This is one of the two major differences between hurricanes and tornados. The other is the cost and damage each natural disaster causes. According to Perry, “Each hurricane can cause billions of dollars in damage.” (Page 49, paragraph 1) Luckily, few hurricanes hit the U.S. yearly. On the other hand, tornados cause much less damage, yet many more hit the United States every year. All in all, hurricanes and tornados are significantly different when contrasting their damage and warning
In the first pаrt of this study we explored theoreticаlly the importаnce of the reconciliаtion of privаte аnd professionаl life of аn individuаl stаndpoint аnd аn orgаnizаtionаl point of view аnd it wаs suggested reconciliаtion meаsures аnd аssumed thаt there’s а positive impаct with professionаl commitment. We explаined how these meаsures cаn go аgаinst the bаlаnce between individuаl needs privаcy аnd professionаl responsibilities.