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STORM SYSTEM SPAWNS 23 TORNADOES IN FOUR STATES: TEXAS, NEW MEXICO, OKLAHONA, COLORADO: 

STORM SYSTEM SPAWNS 23 TORNADOES IN FOUR STATES: TEXAS, NEW MEXICO, OKLAHONA, COLORADO TUESDAY, APRIL 24, 2007

STORM SYSTEM SPAWNS TORNADOES: 

STORM SYSTEM SPAWNS TORNADOES

APRIL 24, 2007 TORNADO OUTBREAK: 

APRIL 24, 2007 TORNADO OUTBREAK The huge weather system moved eastward on Wednesday after leaving 10 dead, many injured, and at least 1,000 damaged or destroyed homes. Power outages were common.

ANATOMY OF A TORNADO: 

ANATOMY OF A TORNADO

TORNADO: 

TORNADO When the ground grows warmer in the Spring and Summer and the air aloft is cold, warm air near the surface rises. As it cools, the water vapor it caries condenses, forming clouds and creating an environment for thunderstorms.

TORNADO: 

TORNADO Winds near the surface blow in one direction while the winds aloft blow in a another direction. The difference between the two wind fields creates a horizontally rotating mass of air.

TORNADO: 

TORNADO Rising warm air creates an updraft, pulling the rotating air mass upward. Now, the thunderstorm creates a rotating vortex, or a mesocyclone. All thunderstorms create mesocyclones, which can be as much as 5 miles in diameter, but not all, mesocyclones spawn tornadoes.

TORNADO: 

TORNADO How a mesocyclone spawns a tornado is not well understood. Most believe the funnel of the tornado starts from above and drops down to the ground where the air pressure is lower. Others believe that it can move from the ground up.

TORNADO: 

TORNADO Tornadoes usually form at the rear of a thunderstorm. Most last less than 15 minutes. The funnel can vary from 40 feet to one-quarter mile. Winds can reach more than 260 mi/hr.

TORNADO: 

TORNADO Thunderstorms can produce tornadoes in sequence. Sometimes, thunderstorms will swarm, creating a tornado outbreak as each thunderstorm creates a tornado or a tornado outbreak.

TORNADO VS HURRICANE: 

TORNADO VS HURRICANE Tornadoes last 15 minutes; whereas, hurricanes can last more than a week. Tornadoes have a funnel that can vary in diameter from 40 feet to one-quarter mile; whereas, hurricanes can vary in diameter from 200 to 500 miles. The winds in a hurricane rarely exceed 150 mi/hr; whereas, the winds in a tornado can reach 260 mi/hr.