Why do tornadoes have faster winds than hurricanes? How can the winds be so much more powerful when they disturb a much smaller area?
In: Planetary Science
you answered your own question really, its energy concentrated into a smaller area.
Like a magnifying glass, the sun (mostly) doesn’t set things on fire.. with a magnifying glass it can easily.
would it be correct to say it’s like when a figure skater does a spin, they can make the spin faster by making themselves smaller? Is it the same principal?
Follow question for anyone who knows? Why isn’t there a storm that is somewhere “in between” a hurricane and a tornado in size and intensity?
It’s not just wind speed, but the enormous pressure differences the wind speed creates that cause damage.
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Imagine a figure skater who starts her spin with her arms extended. As she brings her arms closer to her body, the faster she spins.
Hurricanes and tornadoes are two different things. A hurricane is a giant storm system and a tornado is the result of a storm system when air rotates at very fast speeds.
Hurricanes actually have way more energy because of their size, lifespan and the fact they fuel themselves off warm oceans. Some hurricanes are known to produce tornadoes.
Same as watching the water go down a drain.
It takes longer for a hurricane that is miles and miles wide to spin around, than it does a tornado that is not wide at all to spin.
Ice skaters are a good visual for this. They spin pretty and showy with their limbs out in nice poses. Then they pull in a tight vertical and spin too fast for you to even see them as they rotate so quickly.
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