Stopping a tornado

Post Reply New Topic

Would it be possible to stop a tornado if one is known to be coming?

Well, in theory, if you could predict the path of a funnel with 100% accuracy, it would be possible to destroy the funnels cohesion with a large explosion, i.e. a low yield nuclear explosion.

Unfortunately, nuclear explosions have serious side effects and could be more devastating than the actual tornado.

I would suggest mitigating the problem and building a house behind earth walls that would take the beating from the tornado and the debris that comes with it, like a large hole in the ground (the size of a piece of real estate) that you build your house into.

The Japanese have another strategy to deal with tornadoes, their country is subjected to tornadoes and earthquakes all the time, and if you build, you build CHEAP, which makes easy to rebuild again. Unfortunately the flaw in this strategy is loss of life...

it would require an explosion of material that would fill the low pressure "void" sufficiently to satiate it's need to draw material in to itself.

like a spiral whirlpool of water going down the plug hole is destroyed immediately by a bubble that burps up from the plug hole.

after a tornado has formed and is active, i think the cure would be worse than the disease.

but if one could spot the precursor to a tornado accurately, then it would be much easier.

all serious events start out with the tiniest cause.

Currently, no. In the future, it seems like it may be possible. This research is currently in progress:

http://www.popsci.com/scitech/article/2 ... oy-tornado

Wouldn't it just be simpler to build a nice storm cellar? I don't understand why folks in tornado alley have apparently stopped doing that. It's the first thing I'd do if I lived there.

What would the possible environmental/atmospheric repercussions be if tornados were eliminated? I don't mean of the blast or whatever, I'm just talking about what function does a tornado perform in the creation of weather and what would happen to global weather without that function taking place?

Well, with a stormcellar, you would still have to rebuild the house. With a protective barrier, most of the house could still be standing and not be subjected to the side winds that tear on the structure, and the debris that the twister bring with it which also account for lots of damages. I have seen houses that are basically armoured with steel inside concrete, but my guess is that the number one reason why they dont are plentiful in tornado alley is probably cost. That or the insurance policies are very rewarding if a twister hits...




I do not think tornadoes have any actual function on the planets weather. There are bigger storms (hurricanes) that account for larger actions and a twister next to a hurricane is VERY small.

I think a storm cellar and hurricane-resistant designed home... not the square boxes of conventional architecture, more the elliptical (?), wind shedding shape... ground hugging rather than elevated to avoid storm surge.

No way. The energy equivalent of a Kansas Tornado is a few dozen hydrogen bombs. An F4 or F5 Big T has winds over 250 mph in the dead center. It is the Wrath of God.

Think about the underlying physics and you will see why a Big T cannot be stopped once it has started. Perhaps we should think in terms of Prevention rather that Stopping.

ruveyn

So far, nuclear power is the only hypothesized way, although as previously stated, this would likely be worse than the actual tornado. Tornadoes are not believed to serve any real environmental contribution, rather a release of energy. Prevention may be possible through cloud seeding. This makes the clouds in the supercell more saturated and could possibly reduce the vorticity (spin). I do suggest living outside of tornado alley (south central US) and respect the amazing forces at work.

Not really. It's better (and easier) just to hide in the basement until the tornado is past. That's what my family's always done.

But not everyone can do that.

I did not mean that so literally. It would be impossible for all of earth's population to live only in places safe from natural disaster. I'm not sure that such a place even exists. If the tornadoes don't get you, then either floods, earthquakes, hurricanes, lightening, fire, or an avalanche will. That is, of course, if the nukes don't get you first! Again, I'm really only joking. I tend to enjoy apocolyptic humor .

In that case, see below.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=frAEmhqdLFs[/youtube]

No.

ruveyn

/\
Satirical master. That song is up there with "In My Country There Is Problem", maybe not quite eclipsing it.

Well, could you explain me HOW the explosion will stop the tornado? I want to know...