The Difference Between Straight Line Winds & Tornadoes

Some straight-line wind phenomena can be as devastating as tornadoes.
••• Jupiterimages/Photos.com/Getty Images

Severe weather systems are capable of producing extremely powerful winds capable of blowing down trees and damaging structures. While the primary focus of storm spotters is usually on tornadoes, straight-line wind formations such as downbursts and derechos can be almost as devastating. The three types of storms can produce similar effects, although there are many differences among the weather formations.

Origins

A tornado forms when uneven temperatures across a frontal boundary cause wind shear, strong winds moving in different directions. If conditions are right, the wind movement will become circular, drawing energy into the vortex and forming a tornado. Downbursts occur when a column of rain-cooled air sinks rapidly, striking the ground and fanning out in all directions as a strong burst of winds. Derechos happen when air convection before a storm energizes the falling air inside the system, creating a line of fast-moving downbursts that travel quickly across a region.

Wind Speed

Tornado strength follows the Enhanced Fujita Scale, with a low-end tornado bearing winds of at least 105 kilometers per hour (65 mph). The most powerful tornado to be successfully recorded struck Oklahoma City on May 3, 1999, with wind speeds measured at 512 kilometers per hour (318 mph). According to the National Weather Service, the strongest downburst on record occurred in August 1983 in Washington, D.C., with speeds of over 210 kilometers per hour (130 mph). Derechos can produce high winds as they move, sometimes sustained winds over 160 kilometers per hour (100 mph) over a very large front.

Area of Effect

Downbursts created by a storm can vary significantly in size, ranging from microbursts a few hundred meters across to larger events covering up to 10 kilometers (6.2 miles). Tornadoes range from a few hundred meters (650 feet) to 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) across, in the case of large wedge tornadoes, and can cause devastation for miles as they travel along the ground. Derechos, on the other hand, are enormous systems that can form squall lines hundreds of kilometers long as they blast through a region.

Lifespan

Downbursts are extremely short-lived weather phenomena that can form and dissipate within moments, making them extremely dangerous due to their unpredictability. In August 1985, a microburst struck an airport in Dallas, causing the crash of Delta Flight 191 and leading to increased study of these transitory wind events. Tornadoes usually remain coherent for a matter of minutes, although particularly powerful storms can dissipate and reform multiple times as a storm system passes, causing long trails of damage. Derechos can last 24 hours or more under the right circumstances, such as the July 10-11, 2011, derecho that swept from Colorado all the way to Virginia before dissipating.

Related Articles

How Long Does It Take for a Hurricane to Travel Over...
The Effects of a Cyclone
Harmful Effects of Cyclones
What Happens When Air Pressure & Temperature Drop?
Types of Cyclones
When Is Hurricane Season in Hawaii?
Weather Conditions After a Cold Front
Stages of a Tropical Cyclone
At What Speed Does Wind Become a Hurricane?
The Three Types of Weather Fronts
Harmful Effects of Cyclones
How Long Does It Take for a Hurricane to Travel Over...
Cold Front Effects on Wind Direction
Barometric Pressure & Snowstorms
How Does a Tornado Start?
The Effects of a Cyclone
The Warning Signs of a Blizzard
What Is the Difference Between a Nor'easter & a Hurricane?
How Does a Hurricane Form?
The Stages of Mid-Latitude Cyclones

Dont Go!

We Have More Great Sciencing Articles!