Physical Geography: Hurricanes And Tornados

2175 Words5 Pages

Tracie Varvir
Physical Geography
Short Paper: Severe Weather Storms
October 15, 2014
Hurricanes and Tornados
Of all the devastating natural disasters that can occur, severe weather storms are amongst the worst. Not all storms are as life threatening as the other, and not all storms are even considered severe. However, when certain weather conditions arise and everything in nature is just right, a storm can grow and terrorize people even though the necessary precautions may have been taken. Two of the most wretched types of storms that are experienced are hurricanes and tornados. Both of these types of severe weather storms have the capabilities of ruining entire cities, taking lives, and leaving damage far beyond what the eye can see. …show more content…

This scale uses wind speed to estimate property damage that may occur. The scale has rankings from categories 1-5, which are determined by wind speed. Category 1 ranges from 74-95 mph, and is described by having very dangerous winds that will cause some damage. The second category goes from 96-110 mph wind speeds, and this category is associated with extreme winds causing extensive damage. Then comes category 3, which is labeled as a major hurricane ranging from wind speeds of 111-129 mph. It is described as having devastating damage. Category 4 is also a major storm going from wind speeds of 130-156 mph, and is said to have catastrophic damage. The fifth and last category ranges from wind speeds of 157 and higher. This category is a major storm category, and also causes catastrophic damage. I have seen several images of highly damaging storms and was aware of their level on the Saffir-Simpson scale. In seeing these images, then reading the descriptions of each category I was not surprised, but reminded of how terrible they can be. A tropical depression is a storm in which the winds stay around 38mph, while a tropical storm can have wind speeds that range from 39-73mph, and hurricanes have wind speeds of 74 and …show more content…

In Oklahoma, Tipton and Cherokee suffered the most tornado damage. In Kansas, Lyons, Emporia, and Salina are hit hardest. In Alabama, Tuscaloosa has suffered the most tornadoes. Each of these places is considered to have suffered the most tornado devastation. These tornadoes were ranked very high on the EF scale, which made them incredibly dangerous. On top of that, they all touched down in areas of high population. Because of these factors, much damage occurred and the loss of lives was higher than normal. Making sure structures and people are ready for such storms can indeed lessen damage. It is also important to take proper precautions when tornadoes do in fact

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