It seems we can monitor hurricanes weeks out before most even form and pinpoint their rough destination. Why can we not monitor the winds and temperatures in land and know tornadoes are likely to form in a certain area; outside of 30 minutes before hand?
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> Why can we not monitor the winds and temperatures in land and know tornadoes are likely to form in a certain area; outside of 30 minutes before hand?
I mean, we can. Tornado watches are a thing–they’re advisories put out by the weather service that indicate that a weather system passing over an area is producing conditions that either potentially can or are likely to produce tornadoes. (A tornado “warning”, on the other hand, means that a tornado has actually formed).
But the thing is, tornadoes are quick. Not every storm capable of producing them is going to produce them, and most of them last for a few [minutes](https://www.britannica.com/question/How-long-do-tornadoes-last) before going away. Even the longer-lived ones only last for about an hour, though rarely up to three.
Hurricanes, on the other hand, are very slow. We can see them forming out over the ocean for days or weeks before they get close to land and they move relatively predictably. So our ability to forecast them and prepare for them is significantly better.
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