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📘 Wind shear gives a storm a rolling start

A tornado is not simply a fast wind under a dark cloud.

3
lessons
~15 min
to learn
Adults
level
Start the course →

What you’ll learn

  1. Shear and spinExplain how wind shear, updrafts, and low-level boundaries create rotation.Layered winds supply horizontal spin that a storm updraft can tilt and stretch upright.
  2. Mesocyclone to funnelDistinguish a mesocyclone from a condensation funnel and describe tightening.Radar reveals a broad rotating updraft; convergence and stretching can narrow it into a visible funnel.
  3. Ground contact and decayCompare funnel clouds and tornadoes and explain how inflow loss ends a vortex.Surface debris confirms contact; cold outflow can undercut the warm inflow that sustains rotation.

Questions this course answers

What does vertical wind shear provide to a developing storm?

Changes in wind speed or direction with height create horizontal vorticity that the updraft can tilt and stretch.

How is a mesocyclone different from a tornado?

The mesocyclone is the parent storm circulation and is much larger than a tornado.

Why can a condensation funnel be visible?

Cooling from expansion can condense water vapor into cloud droplets inside the rotating circulation.

What can show that a tornado has reached the ground?

Surface rotation of dust or debris is evidence of ground contact, even if the funnel is obscured.

What commonly weakens a tornado?

Cold outflow can cut off the warm, buoyant inflow that sustains the rotating updraft and vortex.

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