Tornado alley, ketchup and disaster movies – what else could you want from a Friday night? Well, how about something different? What if we told you there was a way to see a tornado form live, in person, in front of your very eyes? Not in a dream, in real life?
Yes, it’s true. All you need is some speedway and a camera – but you might not realize how little you actually need. That’s because there’s a way to make a tornado shape out of almost anything. And what’s more, you can do this at home. In this article, we’ll tell you exactly how.
The Science Behind It All
To understand how to make a tornado, you need to know a few things about the incredible weather phenomena.
Tornadoes are actually turbulent windstorms that form over the earth’s warm regions. They are classified according to their path and the damage they cause. In the United States, tornadoes can range from F0s (faint tornadoes, also known as micro tornadoes) to F5s (fierce tornadoes). The stronger a tornado is, the greater the damage it causes. Thankfully, the chances of you being in the vicinity of a tornado when it hits are fairly slim. The most likely place for you to see one is in a movie. If you’re lucky, you may even see one in real life, but they aren’t often spotted in populated areas.
How To Make A Tornado At Home
So, you want to see a tornado. Great! The problem is, you probably don’t have the luxury of being in the middle of nowhere with nothing around you but acres of land and sky. Especially since there are things that you need to avoid to make a tornado.
First of all, you can’t just go anywhere and make one. If you try, you’re likely to mess up the timing of the atmospheric conditions just right. So, to make sure you don’t end up causing an unwanted disaster, you need to follow a specific guide for creating tornadoes at home. We’ve taken the liberty of creating a step-by-step guide that will help you out so you can have a better understanding of how this all works.
Preparing The Spot
It’s important to note here that although you can make a tornado in your home, the space you choose should be at least 40 feet wide and 60 feet long. Why? Well, smaller spaces don’t provide enough room for the funnel to form properly. In addition, you need open space around the edges so that air can circulate and prevent the tornado from forming in the first place.
Tornado Arena
To make a tornado you need a place with two clean walls and a roof. What makes this location so special is that it provides just the right combination of height and width for the funnel to form. In addition, if you happen to be in an area where tornadoes are common, you can put up some warning signs to let people know that this is the place where they form. It’s also a good idea to have some chairs around so that visitors can sit and watch in comfort while they wait for the show.
Equipment You Will Need
Now that you have the spot prepared and the atmosphere is perfect, it’s time to gather the essential gear you need to capture the magic. For starters, you will need a camera. Even a smartphone will do, although the quality won’t be great. At least, not for the first few photos you take. You also need a computer or a notebook to edit the photos down to their basic form.
Next up is the tripod. A tripod allows you to stand firmly in the right place, holding the camera steady as the tornado spins around you. Without it, you will notice jolts and shakes in the image when it’s loaded into the camera. The stability it gives you is like having a telephoto lens on a dolly. Finally, you need a weather balloon. A weather balloon is a container that is normally filled with helium or some other lighter-than-air gas. When you let go of it, the air inside becomes heavier than the air around it, causing it to rise into the sky. The higher it gets, the more it will taper off, looking more like a tornado as it goes. This gives you an incredible view of the sky as the tornado tears by.
As you can see, there are many ways you can use to make a tornado. All you need is a little bit of curiosity, a lot of luck and a space big enough to hold all the gear you need. Of course, if you want to do this for real, you’ll need a permit from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) or the local government. So, make sure you do your research before you dive in. And don’t forget – safety first!