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Both hurricanes and tornadoes are made of high winds moving in a circular motion around a relatively calm “eye,” but it is there that the similarities end. Tornadoes are much more compact than hurricanes, usually only about 500 feet wide at their base, although they can sometimes be larger. They also usually have higher winds than hurricanes, which tend to top out at around 200mph. It’s not uncommon for tornado winds to exceed 300mph. Although this makes them capable of doing more damage than hurricanes, they are still less destructive.
This is, in part, due to their smaller scale, but it’s also due to their brief lifespans. While hurricanes last for a week or longer and travel thousands of miles, tornadoes usually last only a few moments, and travel an average of 5 miles before dissipating.
Although a tornado will often completely destroy everything in its path, its devastation will be limited to that path, as the strong winds do not extend outward in bands as they do in a hurricane. It is not uncommon for a tornado to thoroughly destroy part of a building and leave the rest of the building unscathed.
Scientists believe that much of the devastation brought about by hurricanes is actually caused by tornadoes spawned within the massive storms.
The bands that radiate outward from the center of a hurricane usually contain strong winds which are believed to eddy into swirling and destructive tornadoes.
This theory explains the sporadic damage that occurs in hurricanes away from the more destructive eyewall. However, because of the massive and dangerous nature of hurricanes, the frequency and intensity of the tornadoes they spawn remains in question. After all, scientists are still grappling with understanding the processes that cause tornadoes to form.
Because most people have never experienced a tornado, they often believe that tornadoes are rare occurrences. One of the most surprising facts about tornadoes is how common they really are.
According to NOAA, the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the US experiences about 1,200 tornadoes per year. That’s more than 3 per day!
The reason we aren’t aware of how common tornadoes are is that they are mostly focused in a portion of the country that is not heavily populated. Thus, with their limited size and mobility, they do not typically cause widespread devastation to homes or communities.
This area where tornadoes most frequently occur is called “tornado alley.” It encompasses much of the central US plains states, including Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Kansas, South Dakota, Iowa and Nebraska.
However, this is probably not where tornadoes do the most damage.
Needless to say, damage to homes and roofs from a tornado is remarkably black and white. A tornado can tear off shingles, or parts of the entire roof as it slices a path through a building. Tornadoes can also do damage by hurling debris at a structure, but they usually have to be close enough that their actual impact to the structure will be far worse.
In other words, destruction from tornadoes is usually total, but only to the portions of the building that the tornado actually touches.
The most active time of year for tornadoes is from April to June.
Your Roof Has A Hard Job. It Must Constantly Protect You And Your Belongings From Some Of Nature’s Most Savage And Unforgiving Forces.
