Thunder cracks, lightning flashes, and the air is still. Black clouds roll in and sirens wail in the distance. In the midst of a storm, knowing the difference between the types of tornado weather alerts can keep a family safe and sound. If tornado watches and tornado warnings are often confusing, perhaps knowing these differences and similarities can keep them straight and simple.
Tornado Watches
A tornado watch in the United States is activated by the weather alert systems whenever there are atmospheric conditions in the immediate area that can be favorable to spawn a tornado. It is where the pressure and the unstable air can merge to form tornados. This does not mean that there are tornados in the area, just that the conditions that typically will spawn a tornado are present.
Tornado Warnings
A tornado warning in the United States is activated by the weather alert systems whenever there has been an actually reported tornado in that area. They are seen by radar indications, storm chasers, or other sighted spottings of the tornado. This means that not only conditions are perfect for a tornado, but that one has already spawned and hit the ground.
Tornado Peak Season
The first year that the NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) reported tornado deaths was 1875. In 1925 there were 704 deaths by tornado (U.S.) compared to 125 in 2008. Approximately 1,500 injuries and 70 deaths occur (in the U.S.) from tornados every year. The reason for this decline in yearly deaths is better storm tracking and better preparedness to take cover and protect citizen life. Tornados, while able to be spawned at any time of the year, do have certain “peak times” depending on area. For the northern plains this peak is June to July and for the southern plains it is May to June.
Types of Tornados
There are four types of true tornados. Landspouts, waterspouts, satellite tornados, and multi-vortex tornados are the four varying ways of classifying a tornado. Waterspouts are tornados over water, landspouts are tornados over land, a weak tornado next to a strong one is a satellite tornado, and tornados with different columns going to the same funnel is a multi-vortex tornado.
Most tornados are between 40-110 miles per hour and around 250 feet in width. However, some can get very violent and span a mile and have winds over 300 mph. Typical patterns for tornados show that they will only stay on the ground a few miles but there are those super cells that will last for many miles before falling apart.
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