In less than a month, the state of Santa Catarina recorded five tornadoes. According to the state’s Civil Defense, the phenomena occurred between the 6th and 18th of November. Last weekend, intense storms hit the state again.
At least three people have died and 71 municipalities are in an emergency situation. In these periods of extreme weather events, it is common to be confused with the definition of the phenomena. But after all, What is a tornado?
Tornadoes are large whirlwinds of wind, columns of air that spin violently until they touch the ground. According to the National Center for Monitoring and Alerting of Natural Disasters (Cemaden), the most striking characteristic is the vertical development of the phenomenon, which can reach more than 15 thousand meters in height.
Tornadoes are classified according to the scale fujita and have six divisions. The lightest causes mild damage and winds do not exceed 116 km/h. On the other hand, in the strongest classification, winds can exceed 500 km/h.
According to the Civil Defense of Santa Catarina, the wind speed estimated by the radar in Morro da Igreja, in the São Joaquim National Park, exceeded the scale of 30 m/s, that is, they were above 100 km/h.
Tornado winds tend to form and dissipate quickly, with most staying on the ground for less than 15 minutes, according to information from the United States Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
Source: CNN Brasil
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