How tornadoes form #3

For tornadoes to form, there has to be a supercell thunderstorm. Spinning air is typical in a supercell thunderstorm, but it doesn’t always form a tornado. There needs to be cold spinning air at the ground and warm spinning air at the top that interconnect, creating a tornado.

What causes rising air to spin is strong winds that come from different directions and altitudes. This rising air then beings to rotate. However, for a tornado to form, there also needs to be rotating air near the bottom.

For spinning air to happen near the ground, the air in the storm has to sink to the ground and spread out in gusts. Because warmer air rises and cooler air sinks, this forms a horizontal spin that can get faster and slower depending on how close the air is spinning. Tornadoes form when they’re fast spins.

The horizontal spinning air can be tilted vertically by the rising, spinning air, allowing for a tornado to form.

The conditions need to be perfect for a tornado to form. The cold air cannot be too cold or else it’ll spread away and slow down, or, the rotating air isn’t fast enough for a tornado to form.

II B AND A