Natural Disasters Tornadoes, Flooding, and Avalanches.
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Transcript of Natural Disasters Tornadoes, Flooding, and Avalanches.
Tornado Facts
• Mainly occur east of Rocky Mountains in US– Spring/summer
• 800 tornadoes reported nationwide
• Speeds up to 250 MPH; damage paths 1-50 miles long
Tornadoes – What Causes Them?
• Develop in warm, moist air as they are met with cold fronts
• Creates atmospheric instability, which causes a spinning updraft
Supercell Thunderstorms
• Long line of thunderstorms whose updrafts/downdrafts are in perfect balance
• Deadly: Perfect conditions for many tornadoes
The “F” Scale
• F0: Winds less than 73 MPH
• F1: 73-112 MPH
• F2: 113-157 MPH
• F3: 158-206 MPH
• F4: 207-260 MPH
• F5: 261-318 MPH
Floods
• Most often, caused by overflow of rivers/lakes for a variety of reasons
• Farmhouses, vehicles and farmland ruined
• Can contaminate water
Why Live Near Water?
• Humans value the proximity to water
• Land cost is cheaper near water; easier access to transportation
Benefits of Flooding
• Egypt benefits from silt/clay deposits; soil becomes very fertile
• Indus/Ganges in Bangladesh
• Humans thrive off of rich soil for crops