[WALKER ASHLEY]
Tornadoes are complex phenomena. We don’t have all the answers to why they form, why they sustain themselves, and why they die. And can have wind speeds of 60 miles an hour to as much as 300 miles an hour.”
[JACK HENRY]
TYPE NUMBERS OVER PICTURE ONCE YOU GET TO THAT READ
YOU MIGHT NOT ASSOCIATE THE HOLIDAY SEASON WITH IMAGES LIKE THESE.
TORNADO SEASON WINDS DOWN AFTER THE SUMMER MONTHS – BUT THAT DOESN’T MEAN THE DANGER’S PASSED.
JUST LOOK AT THE DESTRUCTION LEFT BEHIND IN TENNESSEE IN DECEMBER OF 2023.
AND EXPERTS PREDICT WE’LL SEE AN AVERAGE OF 28 TORNADOES THIS DECEMBER.
[WALKER ASHLEY]
“The United States has more tornadoes and greater tornado density than any place in the world. So we have a very unique geography in the United States. We have the proximity of the Gulf of Mexico and the Western Caribbean that brings that moisture up into the United States which is a critical ingredient for thunderstorm formation. And then we’ve got the mountains on the west side and they create a unique environment supportive of very strong instability or energy for thunderstorms.”
[JACK HENRY]
THAT UNIQUE ENVIRONMENT OF THE U-S COMES DOWN TO ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE.
THE LOWER IT IS, THE STRONGER A STORM CAN BE.
LOW PRESSURE SYSTEMS DRAW AIR IN, CREATING THOSE RAINS AND WINDS…. ULTIMATELY THE VORTEX THAT CREATES A FUNNEL CLOUD.
TORNADO OUTBREAKS TYPICALLY OCCUR BETWEEN FEBRUARY AND JUNE, BUT A POWERFUL LOW-PRESSURE AREA COMBINED WITH UNUSUALLY WARM AIR IS ALL IT TAKES FOR A WINTER TWISTER.
[WALKER ASHLEY]
“Most tornadoes are short-lived, some only on the order of minutes, maybe even less than that, and they might not travel that far. In other cases, particularly during the cool season, those tornadoes tend to move very fast.”
[JACK HENRY]
WHILE A TORNADO IS DANGEROUS ANYTIME OF THE YEAR – WINTER CONDITIONS CAN ADD SERIOUS COMPLICATIONS.
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS SOME ADVICE IF YOU FIND YOURSELF IN THE PATH OF ONE:
BUNDLE UP BEFORE TAKING SHELTER –
RESTOCK YOUR SHELTER SPACE FOR WINTER WEATHER –
KEEP PATHS CLEAR –
AND PLAN FOR POWER OUTAGES –
THE DECEMBER 2023 TORNADO OUTBREAK KILLED SEVEN PEOPLE AND INJURED 71.
For Straight Arrow News I’m JACK HENRY.
