Refrain from driving to locate family or friends. Make phone calls to notify those who may have missed the tornado warning broadcast, but keep an alert eye on the sky. Back To Top Tornado Identification Violent storms associated with low barometric pressures can spawn a tornado. Strong winds in the lower few thousand feet of the atmosphere may be noted by cloud movements. The storm cells develop from 20,000 to 40,000 feet elevation.
Tornadoes often form near a thunderstorm s updraft.
Small clouds will rise quickly into the larger cloud layer. Near a tornado, the barometric pressure drops rapidly. The charac teristic funnel may drop down, loop and appear to dissipate at times. If a funnel is sighted, take shelter immediately. Tornadoes can reach you within a few minutes.