Connection between hurricanes and tornadoes

  • Context: High School 
  • Thread starter Thread starter Rothiemurchus
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Connection
Click For Summary

Discussion Overview

The discussion explores the relationship between tornadoes and hurricanes, focusing on their physical differences, formation processes, and rotational characteristics. Participants examine whether tornadoes can be considered smaller versions of hurricanes and discuss the influence of the Coriolis effect on tornado rotation.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants suggest that tornadoes and hurricanes have different physics and are unrelated phenomena, with tornadoes being localized and short-lived compared to hurricanes.
  • One participant notes that tornadoes are formed by strong updrafts in single thunderclouds, while hurricanes are larger systems fueled by warm ocean water.
  • There is a question regarding whether tornadoes rotate counter-clockwise like hurricanes in the northern hemisphere, with some leaning towards a "yes" but expressing uncertainty about the Coriolis effect's influence.
  • Another participant mentions that hurricanes can spawn tornadoes, particularly in the northeastern sector, but emphasizes that tornadoes cannot merge to form a hurricane.
  • A participant raises the question of what happens if two tornadoes merge, inquiring about potential changes in wind speed and pressure.
  • One response discusses the Coriolis effect, suggesting that while it does not directly influence tornadoes, it affects the larger thunderstorms that spawn them, leading to predominantly counterclockwise tornadoes in the northern hemisphere.
  • It is noted that rare instances of clockwise-spinning tornadoes can occur from thunderstorms with clockwise rotation.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally agree that tornadoes and hurricanes are distinct phenomena, but there is uncertainty regarding the specifics of their rotational characteristics and the influence of the Coriolis effect. The discussion remains unresolved on some points, particularly regarding the merging of tornadoes and the conditions under which they may rotate differently.

Contextual Notes

Some claims depend on specific definitions of phenomena and may not account for all conditions under which tornadoes and hurricanes form. The influence of the Coriolis effect on smaller weather systems like tornadoes is also a point of contention.

Rothiemurchus
Messages
203
Reaction score
1
Is a tornado a small version of a hurricane or do they
have vastly different physics?
Could lots of tornadoes come together to form a hurricane?
 
Physics news on Phys.org
I wouldn't say they have "vastly different physics," but they are very different and pretty well unrelated weather phenomena. Tornadoes are formed by single thunderclouds with updrafts (from hot ground) so strong that the air starts spinning as it rises. They are localized, self-contained, short-lived, and thousands of times smaller than hurricanes. Hurricanes are entire weather systems, fueled by warm ocean water. While a tornado is a small piece of a piece storm, a hurrican is a storm. Tornados contain winds roughly twice as fast as in a hurricane. They can't group together into a hurricane.
 
Do tornadoes rotate counter-clockwise like hurricanes in the northern hemisphere? I'm leaning towards a "yes", but am unsure where Coriolis' limit of influence stands. I suspect a small lab tornadoe could be in either direction. Any thoughts on this anyone?
 
hurricanes spaun tornadoes in the NE sector
frances had about a 100 twisters even after it was down from
hurricane force winds to a depression

but the twisters can't form into a cane


both spin the same way
 
What happens if two tornadoes merge?
Does the wind speed get greater,pressure lower etc?
 
Gonzolo said:
Do tornadoes rotate counter-clockwise like hurricanes in the northern hemisphere? I'm leaning towards a "yes", but am unsure where Coriolis' limit of influence stands. I suspect a small lab tornadoe could be in either direction. Any thoughts on this anyone?

Although the Coriolis effect does not have any direct influence over a phenomenon as small as a tornado (or at least, none wirth noting), there is, nonetheless, a strong causal link. Tornadoes are spawned by thunderstorms (including hurricanes), and thunderstorms are large enough to be influenced by the Coriolis effect. A hurricane in the northern hemisphere always spin counterclockwise, and will always spawn counterclockwise-spinning tornadoes. Most thunderstorms in the northern hemisphere have some counterclockwise rotation as well, and give birth to tornadoes with likewise spin. This accounts for about 99% of all tornadoes in the northern hemisphere.

However, on rare occasion a thunderstorm can form with a clockwise spin in the northern hemisphere. Such a storm will spin off clockwise-spinning tornadoes.
 
Thanks, LURCH.

Sorry for hijacking your thread Rothiemurchus. As for your last question, I would suspect that yes, but I'm not sure.
 

Similar threads

Undergrad Another butterfly making tornadoes thread
  • · Replies 21 ·
Replies
21
Views
4K
Could a hurricane or tornado have enough energy to create a worm hole
  • · Replies 1 ·
Replies
1
Views
3K
Why are Whirlpools not as big as Tornados/hurricanes?
  • · Replies 5 ·
Replies
5
Views
3K
High School Can a Fire Tornado Flip an 8 Ton Truck?
  • · Replies 5 ·
Replies
5
Views
2K
Could we stop a tornado this way?
  • · Replies 10 ·
Replies
10
Views
6K
Just a Thought About Tornadoes and Wind Turbines
  • · Replies 8 ·
Replies
8
Views
3K
Graduate Tornadoes and angular momentum
  • · Replies 15 ·
Replies
15
Views
5K
Collecting Tornado energy in order to dissipate it
  • · Replies 2 ·
Replies
2
Views
2K
MHB Tracking Hurricane Irma: Potential US Impact in a Week
  • · Replies 10 ·
Replies
10
Views
5K
High School Tornado Biggest Lightning Thunder BOOM Explosion EVER
  • · Replies 2 ·
Replies
2
Views
8K