by A tornado is a strong vortex of air that rotates very quickly. It can occur as a result of the collision of cold and warm air, which creates an unstable atmosphere. Tornadoes are dangerous because they can cause significant damage to buildings, forests, and infrastructure, as well as lead to injury and death to people and animals. That’s why it’s important to spot a tornado on the radar in time, follow weather warnings, and practice safe behavior during times of danger.
An uncontrollable destructive power that we must monitor
A tornado can have a diameter of several meters to several hundred meters, and its speed can reach more than 500 km/h. Tornadoes can occur anywhere but are most commonly seen in the United States, Canada, Bangladesh, India, and Australia. It can occur at any time of the year, especially in the summer. The frequency of phenomena grows up with increasing air temperature, humidity, and atmospheric pressure fluctuations.
Until the 19th century, mankind did not have special equipment to predict the approach of a tornado. To save human lives in the case of danger, it was necessary to focus on general and not-too-precise signs or observations. However, now, even such spontaneous and dangerous natural phenomena can be tracked. You don’t even need to be an expert, meteorologist, or physicist for this. Everything is much easier because there is special software, such as the Rainviewer app.
How to use the Rainviewer app to track tornadoes?
Here is a step-by-step guide:
- First, download the RainViewer app and open the Radar List tab. Search for your location and play the animation of precipitation on the map.
- Keep an eye out for a hook echo, which is a distinctive hook-shaped pattern on the map. This extension appears on radar images of precipitation, which is usually rain and sometimes hail, from a thunderstorm.
- Pay attention to the colors on the map. In RainViewer, a tornado will typically appear as a small pink area surrounded by a larger blue area.
- Additionally, search for a debris cloud, which can appear as a blue circle surrounded by red.
By following these steps, you can increase your chances of spotting an impending tornado on a radar map.
