what are the warning signs of a tornado??

Question

how do i know when a tornado is coming to my town. today my city got very very grey and it started to rain like crazy and it was hailing and the winds were high. my mom thought it was a tornado cause it never got like this before.

Answer 1

As my own home was completely destroyed in a tornado in 2003, I kind of keep up with this stuff now.

If ANY of the following conditions are present you should immediately seek safe shelter.

A sickly green or greenish black color in the approaching clouds or the clouds above.

If you are under a current tornado watch, then falling hail should be considered a dangerous sign. Hail alone, in the absence of a tornado watch is fairly common and is not necessarily a sign of an approaching tornado.

You notice a strange quiet immediately after a thunderstorm.

You see fast-moving clouds, especially clouds that are rotating or appear to be converging towards one place in the sky.

You hear a sound like a waterfall or rushing air that soons turns to a roar. This roar sound has been described as the sound of an oncoming locomotive or jet plane.

You see debris dropping from the sky (especially papers and perhaps cancelled checks that are from an address a mile or more away.

There is an obvious "funnel shaped" cloud that is rotating. The cloud may contain debris such as sticks, branches, or leaves being pulled upwards.

Answer 2

Warning Signs that a Tornado May Develop
There are several atmospheric warning signs that precipitate a tornado’s arrival:


A dark, often greenish, sky

Wall clouds or an approaching cloud of debris

Large hail often in the absence of rain

Before a tornado strikes, the wind may die down and the air may become very still

A loud roar similar to a freight train may be heard

An approaching cloud of debris, even if a funnel is not visible

Despite great strides made in meteorology that help us understand and predict tornadoes, there are still many unknown variables. Advance warning and proper precautions are the only certainties.


Tornadoes can occur at any hour, but usually strike during the late afternoon and early evening (3 to 9 p.m.). Most move southwest to northeast, but can move in any direction. They have an average speed of 30 mph, but speeds can vary from nearly stationary to 70 mph. Normally a tornado will stay on the ground no more than 20 minutes, however, one tornado can touch the ground several times in different areas.

Answer 3

First, the most obvious sign of as tornado is a tornado warning. The National Weather Service (NWS) will usually issue these at least 10 minutes before a tornado. If you bother to read the warning text from the weather channel or NWS website, then you will see locations in the tornadoes path and about what time it will be at those locations.

If you are looking for the tornado you will most likely see a rotating wall cloud from which a funnel should or might become visible.

Wall Cloud:
http://ccc.atmos.colostate.edu/~hail/cool/tornados/images/Wall-Cloud7-21-2000.jpg
http://wut2c.com/Archives/photos/Katrina/slides/Katrina_wall%20cloud%20inland3.jpg

A clear slot in the wall cloud is also indicative of an impending funnel cloud or tornado.

Clear Slot (From Rear Flank Downdraft (RFD)):
http://www.flickr.com/photos/wallcloudt1/251970816/
http://tornado.sfsu.edu/geosciences/classes/m302/Severe_Illustrations/alfalfa.jpg

The type of precipitation you will see before the tornado depends on the type of storm. The most likely precipitation will be either large hail or no precipitation at all. Since the updraft creates hail and is also located right above the tornado, hail (especially large (i.e. golf ball size or larger)) is indicative of a possible tornado. The updraft might also prevent any of the precipitation from falling at all. With High Precipitation (HP) supercells, there might be heavy rain or highly concentrated hail before a tornado. A green tinted sky can be related with large hail.

In the moments before disaster, you will hear a loud and disturbing roar, you will experience very high winds, you might see debris flying and falling, and you might experience a pressure drop of possibly 60 or more millibars.

If you see the tornado coming towards you, don't be fooled by its size. A very large tornado could be an EF1, while a smaller tornado might be an EF5. Generally, a thin, rope like tornado will indicate the tornadoes dissipation or the presence of weak winds. If the tornado has a wedge appearance, it will probably have some stronger winds. Large flying debris will obviously be present in the stronger tornadoes. But, lack of flying debris doesn't necessarily mean the tornado isn't strong, it just might not have any to pick up.

Answer 4

Signs Of A Tornado

Answer 5

when I was about 10 or 11, there was a windstorm in Seymour. There was golf ball sized hail and the power went out. If a tornado or windstorm happens were you live, immediately go to a place with no windows. You could get in a bathtub, a basement, a closed closet, a hallway, or a bomb house- basically anywhere underground or with no windows. You can usually tell if a tornado is coming if the rest of the sky is black, and there is a blue opening as clear as day in the middle of the sky. Try to look for circling leaves that pick up during the storm. The air gets very humid and sticky during a tornado. If the power goes out, get a flashlight and cover your head, while crouching down. stay calm and don't panic too much. Sing praises to God and quote scripture to pass the time. Remember God is always with you! :D

Answer 6

One of the things I have found that will predict the conditions that would be favorable for a tornado are to listen to the news. If they speak of a cold front coming in when it has been extremely hot then this will create favorable conditions.
There have been numerous times that it has been hot and the meteorologist said that temperatures will be dropping I have predicted tornadoes.
Tornadoes come from severe storms. To have a severe storm you need three things: Updraft or lift, Moisture (humidity), and an unstable atmosphere. Watching the dew points is another good indicator of on coming conditions.
Most important is to invest in a weather alert radio. They are very inexpensive and can provide warnings of oncoming weather events.
There are watches and warnings. The difference is that a watch means that conditions are favorable for the tornado while a warning means that a tornado has been spotted or there is a tornado signature showing up on the Doppler radar. Take heed when you hear either of these statements issued.

Answer 7

Warning signs a tornado will strike are as follows: 1.) Ink-black clouds moving quite rapidly against a seasick-green sky. 2.) Little to almost no winds blowing as though some force from the heavens grabbed the winds and froze them in its grip. 3.) The air is filled with the sound of a dull roar or even a scream similar to the sounds issued by a low-flying jet airplane or a slow moving train. 4.) A wall cloud with a clear wedge. 5.) There is a rather suspicious trail of debris; such as a grand piano sticking out of the ground.
If any of these warning signs are noticed; or if you hear the tornado sirens going off, take cover IMMEDIATELY!

Answer 8

The best warning sign is to turn on one of your local stations and see if a tornado warning has been issued. The average time of alert is now more than ten minutes which is a lot of time to get prepared. If you want to know if conditions for the day are conducive for tornadic activity then you can check the Storm Prediction Center website which is a government website that issues for the next three days the chance for severe weather. if you want to look out the window (which isn't advised) to find a tornado a green sky is a good way to know a tornadic storm may be on the way....

Answer 9

If you are observing the storm yourself without radio, the sign to look for is a lowering of the base to what is called a wall cloud, which will begin to rotate. Very large hail is an idication that a tornaod is near. Ususally baseball size or larger. Another thing is air pressure, when your ears start to pop, that is an indication that something is up. Animals are another good indiactor.

Answer 10

increase in winds and greenish skies