Tornado, 1919


Tornado Near Elmwood, Nebraska, April 6, 1919. This remarkable photograph, probably the best ever made of a tornado, was made in two parts, as the photographer was too close to get the whole funnel cloud into the field of his camera. A tornado is a violent, dangerous, rotating column of air that is in contact with both the surface of the earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. They are often referred to as a twister or a cyclone, although the word cyclone is used in meteorology in a wider sense, to name any closed low pressure circulation. Tornadoes come in many shapes and sizes, but are typically in the form of a visible condensation funnel, whose narrow end touches the earth and is often encircled by a cloud of debris and dust. Most tornadoes have wind speeds less than 110 miles per hour (177 km/h), are approximately 250 feet (80 m) across, and travel a few miles (several kilometers) before dissipating. The most extreme tornadoes can attain wind speeds of more than 300 mph (480 km/h), stretch more than two miles (3 km) across, and stay on the ground for dozens of miles (more than 100 km).


Size: 2730px × 4345px
Photo credit: © Photo Researchers / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

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