Tornado season and extreme weather have come early to parts of the midwest already this year. Tornadoes cause widespread damage and loss of lives. But what is the science behind what causes a tornado to form?
Tornadoes are funnels of spinning air. The winds may reach 250 (400 kilometers) an hour while they bounce and run across the land. They usually form during thunderstorms or supercells. A tornado forms when changes in wind speed and direction cause a horizontal spinning effect within the cloud. Rising air moving up through the cloud tips it vertically.
A funnel cloud does not reach the ground; a tornado touches the ground. The twisters don’t last for long, but can travel at speeds of 10 to 20 miles per hour on the ground.
Even though tornadoes occur around the world, the United States is a hotspot, especially along an area
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Some teachers teach from the book and others make learning come alive. Judie Zoromski, or Mrs. Z, (say it fast and she’s called Mizzy), teaches science at Mary, Seat of Wisdom Grade School in Park Ridge, Illinois.
She is one of those teachers who gets it home to the dinner table. Her Friday Finale lessons make the “kids and their families live science.”
Mrs. Z taught for six years then took some time off to raise a daughter. When she went back to the classroom, she taught second grade for two years, fifth grade for two years and then “landed” in junior high science. She teaches 7th grade biology and 8th grade physics and chemistry.
She describes herself by saying, “as a person and a teacher I like to bring things to life and create a lot of excitement.”
When taking the science teaching job, Mrs. Z didn’t sit down and start writing out lesson plans, instead she looked for ways to make an impact on her students’ lives. In her research, she discovered our website, SteveSpanglerScience.com and from that Mrs.
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It’s wildfire season and people across the country watch the conditions and the weather hoping their home will be spared.
Areas with dense trees, grass, shrubs or other plant growth are more susceptible to wildfires, especially after a wet season in spring followed by a dry season in summer.
According to How Stuff Works, an average of 5 million acres burn every year in the United States, threatening homes, property and the lives of those in the fire area.
The largest fire in Arizona history, the 841-square mile Wallow Fire is now 77% contained. Two other large fires – the Horseshoe Two and the Monument Fire have also raged across the state this June. The Horseshoe Two in southeastern Arizona burned over 348 square miles and is now completely contained. The Monument Fire near Sierra Vista is about 85% contained after burning 47 square miles and destroying 57 homes.
This past week, two forest rangers were killed while fighting a wildfire in northern Florida.
Smokey the Bear defines a wildfire as an “unwanted, unplanned,
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When you picture a tornado, most of us imagine a whirling column of air poking down from the clouds. But this tornado-like effect is not limited to just the air – a fire tornado or fire whirl is just like a tornado but it’s made of fire. As the heated air from the fire rises, strong air currents (often whipping through the trees) cause the air molecules to spin (often referred to as angular or rotational momentum) which shapes the flame into the shape of a tornado. This catches the tops of trees on fire and the fire jumps from tree top to tree top.
The phenomenon has been recently seen in large wildfires in Russia and closer to home in the Fourmile Canyon Fire outside of Boulder, Colorado.
