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Science 123
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Spring 2026
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Tornadoes
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Tornadoes form when rotation exists on a broad scale within a thunderstorm or mesocyclone.
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Mesocyclone diameter is 10 to 15 km
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Tornado diameter ranges from 10-1500 meters
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Supercell tornadoes - rotation sources
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Non-supercell tornadoes
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land spout theory
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gust front - "gustnadoes"
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cold air funnels
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... and how it intensifies at low altitudes to form tornadoes
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the cyclonic vorticity existing in the supercell or ordinary cell is "spun up" by vortex stretching as the boundary-layer air rises in the convective updrafts.