Osage Valley banner. (Tuscumbia, Miller County, Mo.) 1879-1881, 1881-05-26
TORNADOES, HAILSTORMS AND
WATERSPOUTS.

hAIEHSPOIIS.
AZ this sonson Of the year. when
storms OF limited area and great vic.
leucc are apt % occur, we are equally
apt 10 satier from outbreaks of news
paper meteorology which are some
times almost rs appalling as the phe-
nomena they attempt to explain. We
mag be excused, therefore, for assum.
ing that the subject is one OF popular
interest aud for compiling some OF the
more significant and certain results Of
obsery alton and scientific deduction
with regard to the origin, conditions
and behavior Of this class of storms.
a favorable opportunity for doing
this Is furnished by the recent publicn-
tion Of the tenth appendix to the report
OF the superintendent OF tho United
States Coast aud Geodetic Survey for
1873, containing the second part OF
Mr.. William, Ferrels researches on
cyclones tonadoes and waterSpouts
in which the theoryof cyclones is math-
emahcally discussed nt great length,
with comparison of the results thus
obtained with the facts OF observation
We may safely draw from this treatise
such information as may seem Of inter-
est to landsmen at this time, with reas-
enable confidence that we shall not be
misled with respect either to facts or
in!ercnces Although largely similar
to cyclones and governed by the same
general principles. tornadoes form
distinct class OF meteoric phenomena.
The initial temperature conditions
which give rise 10 cyclones generally
extend over large areas. The condi-
tions of tornadocs depend rather upon
vertical relations OF temperature,
under which the unstable equilb.
rum OF the atmosphere is liable
TO be violently disturbed By
slight local changes of temperature
causing the under strata OF air to burst
up through the everything strata, A
cyclone is usually broad, Hat, gyrat-
ing disk OF atmosphere, very many
times greater in width than in altitude;
a tornado may be regarded as a column
OF gyratlng air in which tho altitude is
several times greater than its diameter.
The enormous velocities of the ascend
ing currents in r tornado appear to be
caused by the differences between the
gyralory velocities above and those very
near the earths surface. The former
largely prevent the air from pressing in
to I'LL up the partial vacuum near the
center, while the smaller gymtory We.
loeities near the earth allow it TO rush
IN there 10 supply the draught. The
tendency of friction Is constantly To use
up the energy OF gyration so that tho
tornado cannot continue very long.
The ascending currents carry up an
enormous amount of aqueous yapor in
TO the upper regions Of the air, where
1t is condensed aud produces the heavy
rains observed in connection with tor
nadoes An ascending current of sixty
meters second, which cannot be un-
usual in tornadocs, wOuld furnish, under
extreme conditions OF air saturation,
four inches OF rain a minute if il were
to fall directly back With such an as
cending velocity, however, no rain
could so fall. il would be thrown out
SIDE the vortex, giving an immense
though lighter fall OF rain over
larger area especially if the tornado
IN It's Irregular progressive motions
should remain stationary or nearly so
Tor several minutes If the velocity Of
the ascending current is not so great
that the water is all carried upto where
The currents are outward from the yOr-
tex, and dyet great enough to prevent its
falling back, there may be in the lower
part Of the cloud vast accumulation OF
ram, prevented from falling by the as
cendlng currents and from being dis
persed by the nnowing currents from
ali sides toward the vortex. When the
sustaining energy OF the tornado is ex-
hausted by friction or by the weight OF
water accumulated in the cloud, the /
water is liable to fall in mass, causing
what is called q cloud burst This is |
especially liable 10 occur in mountain
Gus regions, for contact with a noun
tain must greatly interfere with the |
gyratory motion of the tornado aud the |.
lnhowing currents below, and tend TO
Dreak up the system az once and let the |
whoic .0ad of water drop suddenly.
The water in cloud bursts is generally |
poured down. Long before the ascend
ing currents are reduced so as to allow
The water TO fall in drops it seems TO !