[Towertalk] Inquiry - Tower Collapse/Fall/Radius Zone

[Bill Coleman]

On 4/26/02 9:49 PM, Guy Olinger, K2AV at k2av@contesting.com wrote:

>A tornado is trees being ripped UP. It breaks at the point
>accumulating most aerodynamic drag and least able to support the
>weight of the root ball.

In our case, the tornado didn't actually touch the ground. (In which 
case, you would be correct -- upward winds) Near the tornado, there are 
intense winds with a significant horizontal component. (Air moving in to 
replace that dislocated by the updraft.) But the updraft doesn't move 
straight up either. Coriolis forces dictate that the rising air column 
rotates.

All the trees I remember were definitely snapped OVER. If they were 
snapped UP, they would lie broken in many directions. The ones I saw 
broken in a single direction (eg away from the wind).



Bill Coleman, AA4LR, PP-ASEL        Mail: aa4lr@arrl.net
Quote: "Not within a thousand years will man ever fly!"
            -- Wilbur Wright, 1901