http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/earth_climate/tornadoes/ Tornado news and research. How does a tornado develop? Why are there so many tornadoes in tornado alley? Read the news on tornadoes. en-us Sat, 17 May 2008 11:05:01 EDT Sat, 17 May 2008 11:05:01 EDT 60 http://www.sciencedaily.com/images/logosmall.gif http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/earth_climate/tornadoes/ For more science articles, visit ScienceDaily. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080508182435.htm Three hot-air balloons dropped asphalt shingles, lumber, sticks, leaves and pine needles onto a north Alabama landfill, so scientists could gather data needed to improve tornado warnings. The payloads dropped by the balloons were similar to the types of debris thrown into the air by tornados that touch the ground. Scientists hope the Doppler radar data collected will be a first step toward programming National Weather Service Doppler radar to recognize tornado debris, so more timely and precise tornado warnings might be issued. Mon, 12 May 2008 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080508182435.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080418112341.htm The average global land temperature in March of 2008 was the warmest on record and ocean surface temperatures were the 13th warmest. Combining the land and the ocean temperatures, the overall global temperature ranked the second warmest for the month of March. Global temperature averages have been recorded since 1880. An analysis by NOAA's National Climatic Data Center shows that the average temperature for March in the contiguous United States ranked near average for the past 113 years. It was the 63rd warmest March since record-keeping began in the United States in 1895. The average global land temperature in March of 2008 was the warmest on record and ocean surface temperatures were the 13th warmest. Combining the land and the ocean temperatures, the overall global temperature ranked the second warmest for the month of March. Global temperature averages have been recorded since 1880. Sat, 19 Apr 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080418112341.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080217215726.htm An unexpected radar image of airborne debris from the Feb. 6 tornado that killed four people in Lawrence County, Ala., might help scientists develop better tools for warning the public when and where strong tornadoes are on the ground. Scientists are studying radar data from the early morning tornado to see if the radar signature from the debris is so distinctive that computers can be programmed to instantly recognize it, so more timely and precise warnings might be issued. Wed, 20 Feb 2008 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080217215726.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/05/070514092301.htm With meteorologists concerned about a possible worldwide intensification of tornado activity, scientists are proposing a new approach to studying formation of twisters, which pack Earth's most violent winds. It involves forming microtornadoes under millimeter-scale crystalline "igloos" according to a recent article. Mon, 14 May 2007 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/05/070514092301.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/06/060605082238.htm Iowa State University researchers and students will soon be chasing tornado data in the lab and across tornado alley. It's all part of a research project designed to increase scientists' basic understanding of wind storms and develop innovative ways to make homes and buildings stand up to tornadoes, microburst thunderstorms, hurricanes and gust fronts. Mon, 05 Jun 2006 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/06/060605082238.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/07/050710171607.htm No one has died from a tornado since March in the United States--a first since official records began in 1950, according to the NOAA Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Okla. Normally, during the most active tornado months of April, May and June, 61 percent of all tornado fatalities or an average of 52 deaths occur. Mon, 11 Jul 2005 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/07/050710171607.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/06/050616063125.htm A multibeam Doppler radar that scans storms every 5 to 10 seconds is prowling the Great Plains through June in search of its first close-up tornado. The National Center for Atmospheric Research helped develop the Rapid-Scan Doppler on Wheels and a powerful technique to analyze its data in 3-D. Thu, 16 Jun 2005 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/06/050616063125.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/06/050611003815.htm Tornado warnings have improved significantly and the number of tornado casualties has decreased by nearly half since a network of Doppler weather radars were installed nationwide by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Weather Service a decade ago, according to a study published in the June issue of Weather and Forecasting, a journal of the American Meteorological Society. Sat, 11 Jun 2005 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/06/050611003815.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/06/050603074856.htm A new Doppler radar instrument that can scan tornadoes every five to 10 seconds is prowling the Great Plains this spring in search of its first close-up twister. Newly enhanced for season-long thunderstorm tracking, the radar promises the most complete picture to date of tornado evolution, allowing for better tornado prediction in the future. Sat, 04 Jun 2005 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/06/050603074856.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/04/050413094843.htm They dodge twisters in Dodge City, witness big storms in Big D and follow hailstorms to Hale Center. Talk about your great field trip – this is it. Texas A&M University’s student storm chaser team is the only one of its kind in the state. Fri, 15 Apr 2005 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/04/050413094843.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/04/050411100716.htm Although tornadoes are usually thought of as springtime storms that develop in early evenings out of isolated weather cells, storm watchers now say that conception often fails to hold, especially in the larger Midwest. The twist is that these tornadoes are more likely to form late at night and in colder months. Tue, 12 Apr 2005 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/04/050411100716.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/01/050104115613.htm The total number of tornadoes reported in the United States reached a record high during the year 2004, surpassing the previous record by almost 300, according to officials at the NOAA Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Okla. Wed, 05 Jan 2005 02:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/01/050104115613.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/04/040429052133.htm NASA is providing new technology and satellite data to help forecasters at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) create the best possible forecasts of severe springtime weather. Thu, 29 Apr 2004 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/04/040429052133.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2003/07/030701225142.htm Tornadoes have a reputation for being unpredictable. However, the pattern of destruction that occurs when a tornado interacts with a building is predictable, and that makes it preventable, according to University of Arkansas researcher Panneer Selvam. Fri, 04 Jul 2003 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2003/07/030701225142.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2003/06/030623084143.htm A researcher at the Florida A&M University-Florida State University College of Engineering has designed a hurricane shelter that can be built inside most conventional homes to withstand winds of 140 mph - a Category 4 storm - even if the rest of the house is ripped apart. Mon, 23 Jun 2003 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2003/06/030623084143.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2002/04/020430075348.htm Much like tornado watchers look to the skies for clues that a twister is forming, NASA and university scientists are watching the Sun in an effort to better predict space weather – blasts of particles from the Sun that impact the magnetosphere, the magnetic bubble around the Earth. Tue, 30 Apr 2002 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2002/04/020430075348.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2001/05/010518082334.htm University of Massachusetts tornado researchers are heading back to the Great Plains to spend tornado season testing new ways to detect and predict the swirling storms. Wed, 23 May 2001 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2001/05/010518082334.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2000/12/001219075028.htm How fast is a hurricane usually blowing when it makes landfall? Researchers still don't know for sure. Current wind speeds for hurricanes over land are estimates based on the damage they leave in their path. But all that will change this April, when Texas A&M University unveils its new mobile radar system, SMART-R. Wed, 20 Dec 2000 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2000/12/001219075028.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2000/05/000522195651.htm Scientists are scanning the skies for lightning and supercell storms from a host of high-tech platforms in the High Plains near Goodland, Kansas, from May 22 to July 15. Their tools include storm-chasing vehicles, radars, and an armored research aircraft. Better prediction of storms and tornadoes could one day result. Thu, 25 May 2000 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2000/05/000522195651.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2000/04/000425141255.htm On May 3, 1999, more than 50 tornadoes cut a killer swath across the Great Plains, taking more than 40 lives. One year later, NASA researcher Steve Goodman demonstrates how another foul-weather hazard -- lightning -- could be the key to predicting such devastating storms. Wed, 26 Apr 2000 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2000/04/000425141255.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2000/03/000320091506.htm This year 800 tornadoes will strike in the United States, resulting in deaths, injuries, and millions of dollars in property damage. Is this a psychic prediction? No. According to the National Severe Storm Laboratory, these statistics are the average for the U.S. But they are statistics that Paneer Selvam, a civil engineering professor at the University of Arkansas, wants to change. Mon, 20 Mar 2000 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2000/03/000320091506.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/1999/05/990510064538.htm Mobile Doppler radar instruments funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and deployed by scientists Howard Bluestein and Joshua Wurman of the University of Oklahoma and Andrew Pazmany of the University of Massachusetts are edging ever closer to the funnel clouds of tornadoes -- including last week's devastating storms in Oklahoma. One of these storms passed within a half-mile of the mobile units. Mon, 10 May 1999 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/1999/05/990510064538.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/1999/05/990505071426.htm Texas Tech University's Wind Engineering Research Center teams have arrived in Oklahoma to perform damage documentation on the tornado that struck Oklahoma City Monday (May 3). Wed, 05 May 1999 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/1999/05/990505071426.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/1999/05/990504071152.htm Testing has begun on the next generation of tornado forecasting technology that could increase warning time by as much as 50 percent in north Georgia. Tue, 04 May 1999 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/1999/05/990504071152.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/1999/03/990329070015.htm Researchers at Clemson University will simulate a tree falling on a house as part of a project to help develop practical cost-effective tornado "safe rooms" in homes. Mon, 29 Mar 1999 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/1999/03/990329070015.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/1999/03/990301073453.htm Last year's El Nino brought a variety of weather-related woes, but this year's La Nina may stir up double trouble during the tornado season for Indiana, Arkansas and Mississippi and the western parts of Kentucky and Tennessee. Mon, 01 Mar 1999 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/1999/03/990301073453.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/1998/09/980926063202.htm When a hurricane's spinning mass of rain, lightning and wind reaches shore the last thing you want to do is drive a truck directly into its path. Unless you are atmospheric scientist Joshua Wurman, that is, and you have mounted a large Doppler radar unit on the back of your truck. Sat, 26 Sep 1998 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/1998/09/980926063202.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/1998/04/980420132418.htm Over the past year, forecasters in Alabama and Florida--where tornadoes have killed more than 75 people--honed their storm-prediction skills with two training modules released by the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research on CD-ROM. The modules help users to peg storm types in advance based on a blend of weather ingredients. Mon, 20 Apr 1998 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/1998/04/980420132418.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/1998/03/980304073730.htm National wind expert Dr. Peter Sparks, a professor of civil engineering and engineering mechanics at Clemson University, cites poor practices in connection with last week's tornado-related death and destruction. Wed, 04 Mar 1998 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/1998/03/980304073730.htm