Tornadoes can cause serious damage to your home and property – and if it does, you’ll probably need to work with a storm damage restoration expert to get things back to normal.
What Type of Damage Can a Tornado Cause?
Tornadoes can destroy large buildings, pull trees up from their roots, and even throw vehicles hundreds of yards. Some tornadoes contain such high winds that they can drive straw into trees.
Related: Storm clean-up services in Ann Arbor
The Mechanics of a Tornado
A tornado is, essentially, a rotating column of air that typically extends from a thunderstorm into the ground. Wind speeds can reach up to 300 miles per hour.
Related: What is the Fujita-Pearson Tornado Scale?
Most tornadoes form because of thunderstorms. Warm, damp air comes up from the Gulf of Mexico and hits cool, dry air from Canada – and when they meet, they create atmospheric instability and changes in wind direction, as well as increases in wind speed. That spinning effect spawns most tornadoes, and some of them can be extremely violent.
Tornadoes need other conditions to develop, too, including:
- A lot of low-level moisture
- A trigger to lift the low-level moisture higher into the atmosphere (like a cold front or winds that converge)
- An unstable atmosphere
What Tornadoes Look Like
You might be surprised to learn that not all tornadoes look like a big funnel. In fact, some develop in a slender, rope-like formation. Some look smoky and dark, while others are actually several tornadoes churning around one central tornado. Some can be nearly invisible, and you’ll only see dust and debris swirling around close to the ground.
Do You Need a Disaster Remediation Expert in Washtenaw County or Jackson County?
If your home has already been damaged, we can help. Check out our services and call 517-262-3770 for your free disaster remediation quote today. We offer:
