Tornados vs Hurricanes WHAT DO HURRICANES AND TORNADOES

Tornados vs. Hurricanes

WHAT DO HURRICANES AND TORNADOES HAVE IN COMMON? ◦ Low Pressure ◦ Strong Winds ◦ Hazardous to Life and Property

HOW DO THEY DIFFER? ◦ Locashun ◦ Size ◦ Durashun ◦ Season of Occurence ◦ Distinctive Hazards

WHEN DO THEY OCCUR? ◦ Hurricane season �Late Summer and Fall ◦ Tornado season �Spring and Early Summer

◦ Hurricanes form over warm (80 °F) tropical seas �Latitude 7 -15 degrees North and South of the equator ◦ Tornadoes form over land in the mid-latitudes

SIZE AND DURATION OF HURRICANES

HURRICANE DAMAGE ◦ High winds � 75 -125 mph ◦ Torrential rains �Flash floods ◦ Storm surges as sea level rises

HURRICANE CLASSIFICATIONS �Category One -- Winds 74 -95 mph �Category Two -- Winds 96 -110 mph �Category Three -- Winds 111 -130 mph �Category Four -- Winds 131 -155 mph �Category Five -- Winds greater than 155 mph

LOCATION OF TORNADOES ◦ ◦ Most common in the United States Plains States, Midwest, and Florida In advance of a cold front Embedded in hurricanes

SIZE AND DURATION OF TORNADOES ◦ Narrow intense storm ◦ 1/4 mile wide ◦ Path of 6 miles SW to NW

Tornado Hazards ◦ Wind Speed 40 – 300 mph ◦ Strong updraft in the funnel ◦ Explosions due to pressure contrast

Fujita Pearson Tornado Scale � F-0: 40 -72 mph, chimney damage, tree branches broken � F-1: 73 -112 mph, mobile homes pushed off foundation or overturned � F-2: 113 -157 mph, considerable damage, mobile homes demolished, trees uprooted � F-3: 158 -205 mph, roofs and walls torn down, trains overturned, cars thrown � F-4: 207 -260 mph, well-constructed walls leveled � F-5: 261 -318 mph, homes lifted off foundation and carried considerable distances, autos thrown as far as 100 meters