News Scoop: May 1, 1998 Vol.3 No.25
- This Issue:
- Table of Contents
- Cover Story
- Cover Story - Spanish Version
- Mini-Lesson
- Comprehension Quiz
- Teacher's Guide and Worksheets
Tornado Watch: Tracking Storms
The chase was on. Mark Askelson was riding in a speeding truck. Danger was rushing closer and closer: a swirling, angry tornado. Askelson had to get to safety. But it wasn't time for him to get out of the storm's way--yet.
First he had to drop tools in the path of the tornado. The tools would measure the storm's temperature and strength. Askelson positioned the tools and then quickly found safety.
Askelson works for the National Severe Storms Laboratory in Norman, Oklahoma. He studies tornadoes to figure out when and where they will hit. With that information, scientists can give people warning. "That's our goal: to answer scientific questions about tornadoes so that we can help save people's lives," says Askelson.
Tornadoes are nature's most powerful storms. They can produce fierce winds that blow at speeds of 300 miles an hour. When a tornado strikes, it can cause a lot of serious damage.
A Dangerous Season
Spring is tornado season in the South. In April, tornadoes struck eight states in the Southeast. This season's storms have been especially deadly. They have hit more cities and towns than usual. So far this year, tornadoes have killed 112 people.
Rodney Stanford of Nashville, Tennessee, saw a twister tear through a football stadium. "Parts of the stadium were being tossed around like Popsicle sticks," he said. "I've never seen anything like it."
Scientists are a long way from knowing how to stop tornadoes. But they're closer than ever to understanding why they form. Says Askelson: "We're moving toward a time when we'll be able to give people hours of notice before a storm hits." Those hours will save lives.
How A Tornado Forms
A giant storm system made of moisture and wind is called a supercell. It is formed when warm air crashes into cooler air. The crash sometimes causes the wind to start spinning and form a tornado. The center of a tornado is called a vortex. Most tornadoes are black from dust and dirt they suck up from the ground.
