WHAT IS A TORNADO? A tornado is a local storm of short duration (usually 5-10 minutes) formed of winds rotating at very high speeds, usually in a counter- clockwise direction (in the Northern Hemisphere). This storm is visible as a vortex—a whirlpool structure of winds rotating about a hollow cavity in which centrifugal forces produce a partial vacuum. As condensation occurs around the vortex, a pale cloud appears—the familiar and frightening tornado funnel. Funnels usually appear as an extension of the dark, heavy cumulonimbus clouds of thunderstorms, and stretch downward toward the ground. Some never reach the surface; others touch and rise again. Air surrounding the funnel is also part of the tornado vortex. As the storm moves along the ground, this outer ring of rotating winds becomes dark with dust and debris, which may eventually darken the entire funnel. These small, severe storms form several thousand feet above Earth's surface, usually during warm, humid, unsettled weather, and usually in conjunction with a severe thunderstorm. Sometimes a series of two or more tornadoes is associated with a parent thunderstorm. As the thunderstorm moves, tornadoes may form at intervals along its path, travel for a few miles, then dissipate. The forward speed of tornadoes has been observed to range from almost no motion to 70 mph.Severe Weather qVvhen two Englishmen meet, their fist tok is of the weather? Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) Lead-in 1 From the lst of 16 words below, cross out the 6 words which are not connected with weather conditions. typhoid draught hail gale sleet tornado typhoon slump harpoon flooding cholera blizzard hurricane hazard fog drought 2 Which sets of adjectives a-h go with the nouns 1-8 rain 1 a temperate/mild/tropical 2 sea b severe/violent/electrical 3. wind © dry/humid/intense/scorching 4 dimate dlight/heavy/driving/torrential 5 heat © thick/dense/freezing 6 fog f bright/dazzling/warm 7 sunshine 8 calm/choppy/rough 8 storm A. gentle/ight/strongficy/biting Paper 5, Part 2 3 Describe these photographs using some of the weather words above b Discuss the impact these severe weather conditions may have had on the People in the photos and the local community.English in Use 2 Developing Skills: Lexical Cloze STRATEGY In this task you have to choose the correct word A, B, C or D to fill each space. a Itsimportant to have a general understanding of the text before you start the task. Read the text quickly and answer these questions. 1 What are some of the bad effects the wind can have? 2. What good effects are mentioned? b_ Now begin reading the text again very carefully. When you come to a gap, think about the general meaning you would expect, then look at the possible answers. The correct answer must have the correct meaning and must combine correctly with other words in the sentence. ‘The first answer has been done for you as an example. WIND On 15 October 1987, the southern counties of Britain were (0) .... by the strongest winds they had experienced in 200 years. Gusts of over 130 kilometres per hour slammed across the region and £1.5-billion-worth of damage was (1) .... in just a few hours. Extreme weather events like this are dramatic (2) .. of the power of the wind. It’s one part of the weather we generally don't (3)... a second thought to in Britain but it (4)... a vital role in people’s lives across the world. Without the formation and circulation of winds there would quite (5) ... be no climate. Some parts of the world seem to (6) .... more than others from the effects of ‘ill winds’, and links between particular winds and psychological problems (7)... back centuries. The Féhn, the hot dry wind that slides off the slopes of the Alps, is (8) .... of boosting temperatures quite suddenly by 10°C or more. It affects as many as one in three people in its (9) .... , making them feel anxious, The untameable weather machine irritable and generally ill. In California, many people (10) ... the arrival of the Santa Ana, which rushes down from the high Mojave desert. Lyall Watson, in his book Heaven’ Breath, (11) .... that when the Santa Ana blows, murder rates soar. The wind may get into the headlines when it comes in the form of tornadoes and hurricanes, but for the (12) .... part it goes about its job of shifting huge masses of air around the planet. Plants take (13) .... of this free ride to send their pollen grains far and wide. Trees (14) .... on it to remove old leaves and make way for new growth. Spiders have been caught (15)... lift at altitudes of almost 4.5 kilometres.