Tornados vs. Hurricanes

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Tornados vs. Hurricanes
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WHAT DO HURRICANES AND TORNADOES HAVE IN COMMON?

• Low Pressure
• Strong Winds
• Hazardous to Life and Property

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HOW DO THEY DIFFER?

• Location
• Size
• Duration
• Season of Occurrence
• Distinctive Hazards

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WHEN DO THEY OCCUR?

• Hurricane season
• Late Summer and Fall
• Tornado season
• Spring and Early Summer

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• Hurricanes form over warm (80 F) tropical seas
• Latitude 7-15 degrees North and South of the
  equator
  
• Tornadoes form over land in the mid-latitudes

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SIZE AND DURATION OF HURRICANES
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HURRICANE DAMAGE

• High winds
• 75-125 mph
• Torrential rains
• Flash floods
• Storm surges as sea level rises

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HURRICANE CLASSIFICATIONS

• Category One -- Winds 74-95 mph
• Category Two -- Winds 96-110 mph
• Category Three -- Winds 111-130 mph
• Category Four -- Winds 131-155 mph
• Category Five -- Winds greater than 155 mph

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LOCATION OF TORNADOES

• Most common in the United States
• Plains States, Midwest, and Florida
• In advance of a cold front
• Embedded in hurricanes

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SIZE AND DURATION OF TORNADOES

• Narrow intense storm
• 1/4 mile wide
• Path of 6 miles SW to NW

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Tornado Hazards

• Wind Speed 40 300 mph
• Strong updraft in the funnel
• Explosions due to pressure contrast

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Fujita Pearson Tornado Scale

• F-0 40-72 mph, chimney damage, tree branches
  broken
  
• F-1 73-112 mph, mobile homes pushed off
  foundation or overturned
  
• F-2 113-157 mph, considerable damage, mobile
  homes demolished, trees uprooted
  
• F-3 158-205 mph, roofs and walls torn down,
  trains overturned, cars thrown
  
• F-4 207-260 mph, well-constructed walls leveled
• F-5 261-318 mph, homes lifted off foundation and
  carried considerable distances, autos thrown as
  far as 100 meters