can a tornado “jump” over trees?
Oct 30, 2009
in
Tornado Shelters
we have tornado warnings today and I’m scared to death. I live in a mobile home with no substantial shelters or ditches around me
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2 comments
o01_shadow on October 30, 2009 at 4:36 pm
Tornadoes do not "jump",
ok, a tornado is formed when you have a lot of cold air that traps a lot of warm air on the ground. ie cold over warm. the warm air wants to rise so it does, and sometimes it forms a funnel when the condensation level of the air drops at the barrier between the warm and cold air. The spinning comes from may different forces, but mainly the thunderstorm the tornado originates from, because the system spins etc.
to answer your question though, no they do not jump over trees, they may "avoid" them because trees usually "hold" pockets of cooler air, but tornadoes, once formed, kinda do what they want. I would not worry though, you should be fine, and if you really want to be safe, get a mattress and a corner and cover yourself with it, that way nothing can hit you (which is the leading cause of death in tornadoes), and you should be perfectly safe.
hope that helped and good luck
cyswxman on October 30, 2009 at 4:36 pm
The trees would have no effect on a tornado, as they are way too small in relation to the size of even a small tornado. If one was to lift over some trees, it would be by simple coincidence.
I figure you are somewhere in North Carolina. If a tornado warning is issued for your area, even a small ditch is safer than a mobile home, which offers essentially no protection. Are you sure there is not a better structure, such as a house somewhere nearby? If you are not currently under a warning, but the weather is threatening, try to go to a safer place now, if you can.