The Science Explained
Tornadoes are huge and powerful forces of nature that can happen anywhere around the world. They occur inside a thunderstorm cloud when warm and humid air is rising while cool air is falling. These conditions can result in rolling, spinning air currents inside the cloud. When this spinning column of air goes vertical, it can drop from the cloud and form a funnel cloud. Once the funnel cloud touches the ground, it is a tornado.
Lesson Summary
Explore how tornadoes form in this hands-on activity that demonstrates the shape of a funnel cloud.
Objectives
The learner will:
- Demonstrate how rotational motion can create a vortex, simulating the funnel shape of a tornado.
- Make connections between the model and real-world weather systems, identifying both similarities and limitations of the simulation.
Procedure
Activity Prep
Create your “tornado in a bottle” by filling one bottle with 750 ml of water. Connect the two bottles with either duct tape or connector.
Step One
Hold the connected water bottles by the duct tape or central connector.
Step Two
Flip the bottle end over end in one movement; the water should be in the top bottle.
Step Three
Quickly move the bottles in a circular motion to swirl the water.
Step Four
When a funnel begins to form, stop the motion and set the bottle down on a flat surface.
Step Five
Have students observe what happens, and record observations in their science journals.
Did You Know?
In April 2011, GOES-13 served as GOES East and provided critical observations of a super outbreak of tornadoes across the United States. Over the course of four days more that 360 tornadoes touched down from Texas to New York, marking one of the largest tornado outbreaks in United States history.