What is the difference of Tornado in Whirlpool?
A Tornado is a rotating column of air that spin in the ground or in the surface of the earth, while the Whirlpool is a rotating current of water in a river or a sea.
How do tornadoes form?
Most tornadoes form from thunderstorms. You need warm, moist air from the Gulf of Mexico and cool, dry air from Canada. When these two air masses meet, they create instability in the atmosphere. A change in wind direction and an increase in wind speed with increasing height creates an invisible, horizontal spinning effect in the lower atmosphere. Rising air within the updraft tilts the rotating air from horizontal to vertical. An area of rotation, 2-6 miles wide, now extends through much of the storm. Most strong and violent tornadoes form within this area of strong rotation.
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What are some other factors for tornadoes to form?
Several conditions are required for the development of tornadoes and the thunderstorm clouds with which most tornadoes are associated. Abundant low level moisture is necessary to contribute to the development of a thunderstorm, and a "trigger" (perhaps a cold front or other low level zone of converging winds) is needed to lift the moist air aloft. Once the air begins to rise and becomes saturated, it will continue rising to great heights to produce a thunderstorm cloud, if the atmosphere is unstable. An unstable atmosphere is one where the temperature decreases rapidly with height. Atmospheric instability can also occur when dry air overlays moist air near the earth's surface. Finally, tornadoes usually form in areas where winds at all levels of the atmosphere are not only strong, but also turn with height in a clockwise or veering direction.
What do tornadoes look like?
Tornadoes can appear as a traditional funnel shape, or in a slender rope-like form. Some have a churning, smoky look to them, and other contain "multiple vortices", which are small, individual tornadoes rotating around a common center. Even others may be nearly invisible, with only swirling dust or debris at ground levels as the only indication of the tornado's presence.
How do tornadoes stop?
It is not fully understood about how exactly tornadoes form, grow and die. Tornado researchers are still trying to solve the tornado puzzle, but for every piece that seems to fit they often uncover new pieces that need to be studied.
What is a waterspout?
A waterspout is just a weak tornado that forms over water. They are most common along the Gulf Coast. Waterspouts can sometimes move inland, becoming tornadoes causing damage and injuries.
When are tornadoes most likely to occur?
Tornadoes can happen at any time of the year and at any time of the day. In the southern states, peak tornado season is from March through May. Peak times for tornadoes in the northern states are during the summer. A few southern states have a second peak time for tornado outbreaks in the fall. Tornadoes are most likely to occur between 3 p.m. and 9 p.m.
Where are tornadoes most likely to occur?
The geography of the central part of the United States, known as the Great Plains, is suited to bring all of the ingredients together to forms tornadoes. More than 500 tornadoes typically occur in this area every year and is why it is commonly known as "Tornado Alley". Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota, Iowa, Missouri, Arkansas and Louisiana all make up Tornado Alley.
A whirlpool is a rotating current of water which creates a characteristic vortex. Many myths and legends of the sea have featured whirlpools, typically in situations involving great peril to shipping, and there are a number of famous whirlpools around the world which form consistently and frequently. An especially powerful whirlpool is known as a maelstrom; one of the more notable maelstroms is the Moskstraumen, an immense network of eddies and whirlpools off the coast of Norway.
Several things can lead to the formation of a whirlpool. Most commonly, whirlpools are caused by the meeting of opposing currents. When the currents are strong enough, they can start to wrap around each other, creating a spiral of rapidly swirling water. Whirlpools can also be caused by winds, which may cause surface currents to switch direction, and consistent whirlpools are sometimes caused by geographical features which determine the flow of water currents in a region.
When people hear the term “whirlpool,” they usually visualize a swirling vortex of water which is powerful enough to swallow up ships. In fact, most whirlpools are not nearly powerful enough to destroy ships, and many appear almost invisible, with the currents in the whirlpool moving below the surface of the water. In order for a ship to be damaged in a whirlpool, the flow must be especially strong, and the ship unusually small or flimsy.
Some notable whirlpools around the world can be found in places like Scotland, where the Gulf of Corryvreckan often develops a whirlpool, along with Japan, where visitors can see the famous Naruto Whirlpool. A number of smaller whirlpools come and go along the coastlines of the world, and occasionally emerge in rivers, lakes, and streams as well.
Because any change in current can influence navigation, many mariners like to avoid whirlpools, especially if they are in charge of small boats. While large ships can often pass through a whirlpool without major issue, small boats may find themselves buffeted about in the whirlpool, and they could suffer damage or be thrown off course. Major recurrent whirlpools are typically marked in navigational charts for this reason.
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