A tornado is a destructive natural phenomenon. Countries where deadly tornadoes are most often formed are quite popular with tourists. Therefore, before you go there, you need to think about where to run and what to do if a tornado ruins your vacation.
A tornado is also called a tornado or blood clot. This is a whirlwind that forms in anticipation of a thunderstorm and sweeps away everything in its path at a terrible speed, sometimes reaching more than 1000 km / h. The diameter of the "pipe" of a tornado can also be different. A standard tornado expands to 400 meters, while a water tornado rarely exceeds 30 meters in diameter.
Tornadoes are usually subdivided into several types:
- water, typical of tropical latitudes, which appears above the sea and from afar resembles a thin hose extended to a cumulus cloud above it;
- composite, formed from several "pipes" that "dance" around the central axis;
- whip-like - thin and elongated upward, in the form of a whip;
- vague, very wide, lacking a clear shape;
- fiery, appearing over a fire or active volcano;
- microscale, arising from sharp gusts of wind;
- earthen, the cause of which is a strong earthquake;
- snowy - short-term and not dangerous;
- foggy devil - this is the name of a tornado of fog, which can be seen over well-heated water bodies at a time when the air is colder than water.
USA
Scientists have long established that 75 percent of all tornadoes on Earth form and sweep over the United States. Tornadoes are not uncommon in the interior of the United States, which is even eerily called "Tornado Alley". It includes the territories of 6 states, sandwiched between two mountain systems - the rocky mountains and the Appalachians.
A tornado forms where warm air from the Gulf of Mexico meets cold air masses descending from the Rocky Mountains.
Texas, Kansas and Oklahoma are hit hardest by tornadoes. However, local residents are already accustomed to the devastating blows of the elements, so they do not get lost and hide at the slightest danger in special rooms that are equipped with most houses in the states that are in the path of the tornado.
A new tornado is announced on television and radio, and sirens are turned on in the streets.
Cuba
Several years ago, Cuba was hit by a powerful tornado, which caused flooding in the vicinity of Havana and several provinces close to the capital of Cuba. A tornado of destructive power also took the lives of 4 people and damaged about 90 residential buildings.
Usually Cuba rarely gets in the way of a tornado. Water tornadoes often appear here, which quickly calm down, sometimes without even reaching the coastline.
A 2019 tornado hit Cuba in January, at the height of the tourist season. The locals were impressed by the tornado's power and scope. They recalled that a roar emanated from him, similar to the roar of a jet plane, which frightened most of all possible destruction.
The flooding that came behind the tornado damaged underground reservoirs of fresh water that flowed into the Havana aqueduct. The electricity was also cut off due to accidents at three substations.
Only older Cubans remember the previous deadly tornado. It flew over the Cuban city of Bejucal in 1940.
Russia
Tornadoes frighten residents, mainly of the European part of Russia. There are especially many of them in early June and early September. Experts have calculated that about 300 tornadoes are recorded annually in our country. Only a couple of them move at a speed exceeding 70 m / s. All other tornadoes are slower and less destructive.
Tornadoes occur both in small towns and in large settlements, for example, in Moscow, Nizhny Novgorod, etc.
About a dozen tornadoes are annually observed in the Black Sea region of Russia. Masses of air from the Caucasus descend to the sea, which is the reason for the appearance of a tornado. In Sochi and its environs, water tornadoes can most often be seen, which do not bring much damage. True, sometimes they move to land, causing an increase in the water level in rivers, and hence flooding in resort villages.
In the Asian part of Russia, tornadoes covered Blagoveshchensk, Vladivostok and some other cities.
Australia
In Australia, most often you can see waterspouts that occur off the east coast of the country at the junction of summer and autumn. Sometimes vacationers on local beaches can observe the appearance of several water pipes at once, which do not reach the coast and do not cause destruction.
Only those who go out to sea on yachts or kayaks and are in the path of a water tornado can be seriously injured. Tornadoes can move at high speeds - up to 100 km / h, so tourists cannot turn aside in time.
Such tornadoes do not last long - after 20-30 minutes the ocean will be calm and calm.
Surprisingly, sometimes such tornadoes lift marine life into the air and throw them on the shore in the form of rain. Then there are exciting articles in the press about fish rain.
