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To: Mears

It was a pretty wimpy F1 tornado. You could tell it wasn't going to cause significant damage.


15 posted on 04/10/2005 5:29:03 PM PDT by IonInsights
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To: IonInsights

How,pray tell,do you know how much damage it is going to cause?


16 posted on 04/10/2005 5:34:32 PM PDT by Mears ("The Killer Queen,caviar and cigarettes")
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To: IonInsights
It's hard to tell what we're looking at in many cloud photos. The clouds definately seem to show some evidence of wind sheer and vertical development, but I don't see a wall cloud (unless that's it at the base, way off in the distance). I am assuming the twister is the whispy rodlike feature with a base at the middle-left edge of the pictures and extending rightward and slightly down.

Under the conditions you described, you may have seen a gustnado, which forms differently and is much weaker than a traditional tornado. They form from horizontal sheer and turn downward, kicking up dust and causing very minor damage. They also typically form at the front edge of a storm, where rising hot air interfaces with descending cold air, which provides the necessary spin.

18 posted on 04/10/2005 6:01:40 PM PDT by Lexinom (You can easily judge the character of a man by how he treats those who can do nothing for him.)
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