I NEED TO KNOW THE EXACT ANSWER PEOPLE
2006-10-13 09:42:44 · 12 answers · asked by allyflowerpower 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Weather
They can, but not always. Most of the time a cold front and warm air/warm front just produce storms. There also has to be the right wind shear and a bunch of other factors.
2006-10-14 02:38:49 · answer #1 · answered by Kelli M 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
The real answer is that meteorologists aren't quite sure what causes tornadoes! There are numerous hypotheses, but they are difficult to test because it's difficult to see and measure what's happening inside and right around a tornado. While all tornadoes look alike (a rapidly spinning vortex that extends down toward the ground), it seems that they probably don't all form the same way. Most tornadoes that occur are associated with a spinning thunderstorm called a supercell. These supercells spin because the air that they suck up from the ground already is spinning in some sense. The process by which the tornado appears to descend from the supercell is still a mystery. Meteorologists use computers and observations to test ideas about how this process occurs. After studying this data, some meteorologists think that there is an interaction between the column of air that is moving upward within the storm, called an updraft, and a column of downward moving air, called a downdraft. Because these airflows are typically located next to one another in a supercell, they may interact with one another. It is this interaction that some meteorologists think causes the air to spin faster, descend to the ground, and create a tornado.
2006-10-13 17:03:14 · answer #2 · answered by E D 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
What you have stated is one of the factors that must occur in order for a tonando to form. However, there are several other factors that must occur so if they don't their won't be a tornando. Tornandoes commonly develop on a very hot day with low humidity and the ground has heated up. First the clouds you will see in the sky will probably look very small but they will grow bigger. Next, the clouds will turn from black to a very bright green, and you will know that one is coming. After that you see torrential rain, huge hail (maybe up to softball or volleyball size), debris, and finally a tornando. I hope that this has helped you.
2006-10-13 18:48:14 · answer #3 · answered by leged56 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes this is true " The severe thunderstorms which produce tornadoes form where cold dry polar air meets warm moist tropical air. This is most common in a section of the United States called Tornado Alley. Also, the atmosphere needs to be very unstable."
source:
The National Center for Atmospheric Research, University Corporation for Atmospheric research. (UCAR)
http://www.windows.ucar.edu/tour/link=/earth/Atmosphere/tornado/formation.html
2006-10-13 16:54:45 · answer #4 · answered by cehelp 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
The important thing is the energy available. Within baroclinic zones, near fronts, there is more energy to use to create this type of storm. Meteorologists call it "Convectively Available Potential Energy", or CAPE.
Other mechanisms are required for the creation of the whirling vortex of despair (tornado), but the energy comes first.
2006-10-13 17:27:11 · answer #5 · answered by Radiosonde 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
No. When a cold front and warm front collide the result is an occluded front.
2006-10-15 08:19:43 · answer #6 · answered by BadWX 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes, but it's more than that.
Click on links below for the exact answers to your questions and great pics.
2006-10-13 16:53:30 · answer #7 · answered by makawao_kane 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Yes. For more specific info on the matter, check out http://www.weather.com I believe (if I remember correctly) that a low/high pressure system is involved as well.
2006-10-13 16:51:10 · answer #8 · answered by Sheryl R 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Yes.
2006-10-13 16:50:30 · answer #9 · answered by shmux 6 · 0⤊ 2⤋
The exact answer is......YES
2006-10-13 16:45:42 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋