Tornado Need to Know

7/15/2018 (Permalink)

Tornadoes are known to cause widespread damage throughout the United States, especially in the Southern Plains, SouthEast, and MidWest. But how much do we truly know about these destructive entities that tear through our homes and businesses?

Here are a couple of quick facts about tornadoes:

The average tornado travels Southwest to Northeast but have been known to move in any direction.

Tornadoes are most likely to occur between 3pm and 9pm but can occur at any time.

Dr. T. Theodore Fujita devised the F0-F5 Scale for tornadoes in 1971.

In 2006 the National Weather Service unveiled the Enhanced Fujita Scale (EF Scale).

A tornado normally appears transparent until it picks dust and mud from the ground.

The USA averages around 1,200 tornadoes every year, more than any other country.

In the southern hemisphere tornadoes usually rotate in a clockwise direction. In the northern hemisphere tornadoes usually rotate in a counterclockwise direction.

Signs of Danger

Dark, green tinted sky

Large hail

Low-lying rotating cloud

Loud roar similar to a freight train

We are in the peak of tornado season here in Iowa and encourage everyone to be weather aware. Have a family plan in the event of a tornado warning. Know where your safe areas are wherever you are.

For more information about tornadoes and tornado safety visit https://www.spc.noaa.gov/faq/tornado/