Tornado Facts And Terms Meteorology So 2010-11

On some days the lid known as the capping inversion is very thick preventing the blossoming of storms. But on other days, the lid holds the unstable air down for only so long before it the inversion weakens. What is the result of this inversion weakness? 

What is the difference between a funnel cloud and a tornado?

Why does the F Scale provide estimates of tornado strength based on damage surveys?

Why did the new Enhanced Fujita Scale (EF-Scale) replace the Fujeta Scale developed in 1971 and addresses some of the limitations identified by meteorologists and engineers since the introduction of the Fujita Scale in 1971.  

What was the deadliest tornado outbreak in the U.S.?

What was the longest path length of a tornado?

What was the shortest path length of a tornado?

The first three signs of an approaching tornado may be:  

Tornado winds can reach 300 miles per hour.  

A tornado is a violently rotating column of air that descends from a what.

In order to form a tornado, you need three very different ingredients  to come together in a particular way:  List them and where in the tornado they occur.

Near the ground, there's a layer of warm, humid air and strong south winds. In the upper atmosphere, you'll find colder air and strong west or southwest winds. The air near the surface is much less dense than the cold, dry air aloft. This condition is called what

When  the warm, moist air can be given an initial push to move upwards, the air will keep on rising, sending moisture and energy to form a What

The second ingredient in the formation of a tornado is a change in wind speed and direction with height, called what. This is linked to the eventual development of rotation from which a tornado may form.

The last thing you need is a layer of hot, dry air between the upper and lower layers. What effect does this layer have on the stablilbity of the storm/tornado?  

The U.S. has by far the most tornadoes in the world.

The US averages how many  tornadoes a year!

The geography of the central U.S. is uniquely suited to bring together all the ingredients for tornado formation.  How?  This area has become know as "what," averaging more than 500 tornadoes annually.

During the spring and summer months, southerly winds originating from the Gulf of Mexico prevail across the plains, providing the warm, humid air needed to fuel severe thunderstorm development.  Hot, dry air forms over the higher elevations to the west and meets the Gulf air near the ground. The boundary is known as a _______________forms to the west of Oklahoma.

The narrow boundary separating hot, dry, southern Rocky Mountain air from very moist Gulf of Mexico air.

The dryline's daily eastward movement, under the right conditions, can trigger severe _____________and __________________________.

The most pronounced collision of hot dry Rocky Mtn air and moist Gulf of Mexico air masses commonly occurs over Texas and Oklahoma, creating a narrow moisture gradient known as the "________________________."

Dry southwest winds converge with the weaker, humid south winds along the dryline, squeezing the moisture boundary into a very narrow area.__________________________, which are a measure of the air's moisture, could be in the 60s ahead of the dryline but drop sharply to the 20s just a few miles farther west.

The stronger winds blowing in from the southwest shove the dryline to the east. But the dryline's movement at the surface often is not as fast as it is aloft. Hot air at about 1,000 feet overruns the warm, moist air at the surface, creating a ____________________  ____________________..

The "cap" acts like a lid on a pot of boiling water; it keeps the heated air from rising. What is this called?