Large raindrops, tornado risk

2009/02/01 Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Klima

Depending on the size of raindrops or hail grains, two scientists at the University of Oklahoma have found that clouds can cause a thunderstorm or tornado. To do this, they have performed HD simulations by computer.

Tornadoes are violent wind swirls that form by joining warm, humid air masses with the cold air mass. According to Oklahoma meteorologists, the types of clouds that cause tornadoes are very sensitive to the size of water drops. If water drops are relatively large, the air mass quickly adopts a cyclonic appearance. These drops do not evaporate so easily to the ground and the air does not cool so easily. On the contrary, small drops of water tend to evaporate and, by absorbing heat, cool the surrounding air more. Therefore, the risk of tornado formation decreases.

Discovery will help you better understand violent storms. However, scientists still have to work hard to control or predict tornadoes.