Cause-and-effects Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Cause-and-effects - Essay Example When heated air from these surfaces begin to rise, it becomes absorbed by the clouds, which then condenses and turns into thunderclouds (Abbott 263). As the hot air rises, cooler air fills in the spaces that are left. The Earth, spinning on its axis, causes the air to spiral upwards, which causes the winds to rotate even faster. A hurricane has then been created, bringing with it strong winds that can reach up to two hundred miles per hour. A tornado is caused by a condition known as wind shear, which is when the speed or direction of wind changes with altitude. This can separate the updraft and downdraft of a thunderstorm, and if the wind shear is strong enough, it can cause horizontal vorticity (Abbott 239). Horizontal vorticity can be turned vertical by the updraft of the storm, which causes rotation. This rotation causes a tornado funnel to form, and thus a tornado. Tornadoes can produce winds up to three hundred and eighteen miles per hours, and they can cover group exceeding a mile at a time. These two weather conditions are capable of producing winds that can rip trees from the ground, toss vehicles, and tear homes from their foundations. They are both categorized based on size, wind speed, and level of destruction; while many people and buildings are able to survive Category One hurricanes or F2 tornadoes, the chances drastically decrease during a Category Five hurricane or an F5 tornado.