Canute

Tornado Types

Classic Tornado

– A typical tornado that takes the shape of a narrow funnel. They start out white when they are first formed, but turn different colors from the debris they pick up during their touchdown.
Wedge Tornado

– These tornadoes have straight sides and are usually wider than they are tall. Since they are so wide, they have a much larger damage path.
Rope Tornado

– Rope tornadoes have long and very thin funnels. They appear to snake across the sky and are more horizontal than classic tornadoes.
Multiple Vortex Tornado

– This tornado has two or more funnels rotating around a common center.
Satellite Tornado

– A satellite tornado is a weaker tornado that forms next to a larger tornado. This tornado may orbit the larger tornado and has its own circulation system.
Waterspout

– A tornado that forms over water, most commonly found in the Florida Keys and the Adriatic Sea.

Formation

– Tornadoes develop from a type of thunderstorm called a supercell. Supercells usually have a rotating horizontal updraft a few miles high in the atmosphere. When incoming air pushes the updraft vertical, a wall cloud can form. A funnel cloud can then appear from the base of the wall cloud, becoming a tornado once it reaches the ground.
Maturity

– A tornado reaches this stage when the maximum amount of warm, moist air is pulled into the tornado. It is the mixing of warm air in the updraft and then cool air from the bottom of the storm that allows the tornado to reach its full size and strength.
Dissipation

– As the storm progresses, the cool surface winds from the descending air that originally formed the tornado wraps around the funnel and blocks the tornado’s air supply. This is when dissipating rope tornadoes form. The spinning in the vortex begins to weaken and the rotating air finally stops.