By: Nicolas Hurst

Mrs. Garrett

6th Grade

The Formation of a Tornado

The Formation of a Tornado

Tornadoes form in severe thunderstorms. As a tornado forms, a funnel cloud seems to stretch down from the cloud above. The bottom becomes visible as the tornado picks up dust from the ground. The tornado moves along the ground before it dies out.

What is a Tornado?

A tornado is a violently rotating column of air stretching from a cloud to the ground. A tornado moves along the ground in a winding path underneath the cloud.

A tornado is a very dangerous thing to be around. A tornado can harm a house and all people in it. As a tornado makes its way across the ground, it collects dust and sand particles. The tornado begins to become darker and can be seen with the human eye a little bit better.

What does a Fujita Scale have to do with tornadoes?

A Fujita Scale measures the type of damage a tornado does and the wind speed of one. The scale goes from F0-F5. A F5 tornado is the most powerful one of all. It has a incredible damage rate and wind speeds of 419-512 km/h (261-318mi/h).

Safety Tips

Tornadoes are very dangerous. If you watch the news and a tornado warning pops up, you need to tell your parents. You also need to have an escape plan, or if you don’t have one, just go to one place in your house like a basement and stand away from any glass or windows. The weakest point in a house is the roof. The reason that the roof is the weakest point in a house has something to do with the design or wood it is made out of. So I would say, don’t be anywhere near the roof of your house.

Resources

• http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/clipart/default.aspx?cag=1

• Science Book