Deep down, you know *why* you are intrigued by tornados

[Iamme]

But I want you to tell *me* what intrigues *you* about tornados. Then, in a bit, I will tell you why *I* am intrigued by them.

And it's getting scarier all the time, as 'tornado alley' keeps creeping up towards Canada. They used to have this rule of thumb, also, that said tornados rarely occur past 4 in the afternoon. Not! Poor Indiana.

I recently read somewhere that there virtually is nowhere you can live in this country that doesn't have *some* disasterous event that can happen to you caused by the weather. So I got wondering if that is really true. Ever hear of anything bad that happens in Montana?

[falzer]

Drought?

[apocalypse]

But I want you to tell *me* what intrigues *you* about tornados. Then, in a bit, I will tell you why *I* am intrigued by them.

I like tornadoes as they are an extreme force of nature.


And it's getting scarier all the time, as 'tornado alley' keeps creeping up towards Canada. They used to have this rule of thumb, also, that said tornados rarely occur past 4 in the afternoon. Not! Poor Indiana.

Weather patterns change. A long time ago Nebraska and Montana had large seas in them. We are not seeing anything that hasn’t happened before. It is just that we humans popularize various topics.

Cooler weather does not lend itself towards tornado creation. At 4:00 pm or so, the weather typically gets cooler thereby reducing tornado formation.


I recently read somewhere that there virtually is nowhere you can live in this country that doesn't have *some* disasterous event that can happen to you caused by the weather. So I got wondering if that is really true. Ever hear of anything bad that happens in Montana?

The more populated an area, the more likely a person is to hear about some disastrous event occurring there. How many times this year did you hear about how hot it got in Death Valley? My guess is very few times if at all. Now, if Death Valley had a population of 5 million and when it hit 115 degrees for 20 days in a row and 40,000 people died, I doubt that many people would have not heard about it.

[Goshawk]

I recently read somewhere that there virtually is nowhere you can live in this country that doesn't have *some* disasterous event that can happen to you caused by the weather. So I got wondering if that is really true.
Yes. The wire services picked up this FEMA map (http://www.hazardmaps.gov/atlas.php) a couple of weeks ago; this is probably what you saw/heard on the news.

Over on the right, where it says "Legend", you can input your choice of hazard.

Click the mouse on Montana, the map will zoom in on it, then have fun putting in hazards.

[Dancing David]

But I want you to tell *me* what intrigues *you* about tornados. Then, in a bit, I will tell you why *I* am intrigued by them.

And it's getting scarier all the time, as 'tornado alley' keeps creeping up towards Canada. They used to have this rule of thumb, also, that said tornados rarely occur past 4 in the afternoon. Not! Poor Indiana.

I recently read somewhere that there virtually is nowhere you can live in this country that doesn't have *some* disasterous event that can happen to you caused by the weather. So I got wondering if that is really true. Ever hear of anything bad that happens in Montana?

That just shows that rules of thumb may be convinient but misguided, tornados occur when there is a large thunder storm, they occur all year and any time of day.

Tornados are intrigue-ing because they are large scale to us humans.

[luchog]

Compensation.

[Iamme]

Drought?

I'll just have to remember to bring my aquaduct making equipment when I move there, then. :)

Here is why *I* am intrigued by tornados:

It's not really from their imensity or there power. It is from the fact that it is an organized structure in a steady rotating motion. They are like a revolving machine. But what puzzles me and intrigues me about them is to why when you have a clash of a cold and warm front, with wind sheer and proximity of the upper jet stream and super cells and all that jazz...is why isn't there simply some inversion that causes or accomplishes what the tornado is trying to do? Or how tectonic plates pas each other and create an earthquake...why not something like that instead? Why the funnel? And not just why funnel(s)...plural. But why would some huge storm just have this one funnel that comes out of it, like this living machine that is trying to consume things in it's path? Why doesn't the storm "relieve" itself and have 50 tornados, let's say, come out of one clourd? Or, why doesn't the temperature mass just pass through each other, with a strong wind? Why the perfect, powerful tornado? (And yes, before you start telling me about multiple vortice tornados, I already know. It's just that by and large, usually there is this one big giant funnel, like the huge F5 that went through Oklahoma City a numbr of recent years ago.


And I find those long rope tornados that even go horizontal and every which way, but finally wind up on the ground, to be very intriguing as to what makes them not just take the shortest path of least resistance to the earth. (or *is* that the least resistance, for some reason?)