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Thunderstorms and Tornadoes

Terms in this set (13)

what to do (thunderstorm):
take cover in an enclosed building; do NOT touch anything plugged in; do NOT use sinks, baths, showers; stay away from tall trees; stay away from open spaces - DON'T be tallest thing around
if you are stuck in the open (thunderstorm):
shelter in a low area - topographically; crouch in a ball - get small
what to do (tornado):
move to a tornado shelter, basement, or interior room without windows; protect yourself from flying debris; if you're in a car, that's safer than leaving it - ditches are still recommended
tornado classification
Dr. Ted Fujita developed F-scale for tornadoes; by examening damage and evaluating wind speeds that caused such damage; used this set of photos as his standard for comparison
F0 tornado:
wind speed: 40-73 mph
weak outbuilding: walls collapse
strong outbuilding: roof gone
weak frame house: minor damage
strong frame house: little damage
brick structure: OK
concrete structure: OK
F1 tornado:
wind speed: 73-113 mph
weak outbuilding: blown down
strong outbuilding: walls collapse
weak frame house: roof gone
strong frame house: minor damage
brick structure: little damage
concrete structure: OK
F2 tornado:
wind speed: 114-158 mph
weak outbuilding: blown away
strong outbuilding: blown down
weak frame house: walls collapse
strong frame house: roof gone
brick structure: minor damage
concrete structure: OK
F3 tornado:
wind speed: 159-208 mph
weak outbuilding: already gone
strong outbuilding: blown away
weak frame house: blown down
strong frame house: walls collapse
brick structure: roof gone
concrete structure: minor damage
F4 tornado
wind speed: 208-261 mph
weak outbuilding: already gone
strong outbuilding: already gone
weak frame house: blown away
strong frame house: blown away
brick structure: walls collapse
concrete structure: roof gone
F5 tornado
wind speed: 262-319 mph
weak outbuilding: already gone
strong outbuilding: already gone
weak frame house: already gone
strong frame house: blown away
brick structure: blown down
concrete structure: walls collapse
enhanced fujita scale
EF0: 65-85 mph; minor or no damage
EF1: 86-110 mph; moderate damage
EF2: 111-135 mph; considerable damage
EF3: 136-165 mph; severe damage
EF4: 166-200 mph; extreme damage
EF5: >200 mph; total destruction of building
mammatus clouds
clouds that look like pouches hanging from the underside of a cloud; unstable wx, severe thunderstorms, potential tornadoes
fact
the areas of greatest tornado risk include much of the eastern half of the United States
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