People living on the planet in different eras have repeatedly faced diverse disasters, not the least among which are tornadoes and their derivatives. The wind is a very powerful element, it is difficult to argue with this. His strength is enough to demolish almost any structure built by man, to lift into the air and carry cars, objects and people to great distances. Large-scale disasters of this kind happen relatively infrequently, therefore any hurricane, tornado, typhoon or tornado is an extraordinary event that attracts world attention.
Hurricanes: Causes of Natural Disasters
What is a hurricane? This phenomenon is caused by wind of great speed. The occurrence of hurricanes The explanation is simple: the wind appears due to the difference in atmospheric pressure. Moreover, the more expressive the pressure amplitude, the greater the wind force. The direction of the air flow is from the area of high pressure to a place with lower rates.
Typically, the causes of hurricanes are cyclones and anticyclones that move quickly from place to place. Cyclones are characterized by reduced pressure, anticyclones, on the contrary, are elevated. Winds in such huge air masses blow in different directions, depending on the hemisphere.
Relatively speaking, any hurricane is an air whirlpool. The causes of hurricanes boil down to the appearance of a low-pressure region into which air rushes at a frantic speed. Such phenomena occur during any season, but in Russia they most often appear in the summer.
Tornado, storm, hurricane: differences
Strong winds can be called differently: typhoons, hurricanes, storms, tornadoes or storms. They differ not only in name, but also in speed, method of formation and duration. For example, a storm is the weakest windy hypostasis. Wind during a storm blows at a speed of about 20 m / s. The phenomenon lasts up to a few days in a row, and the coverage area is more than a hundred kilometers, while a hurricane can rage for about 12 days, bringing chaos and destruction. In this case, the hurricane vortex flies at a speed of 30 m / s.
The tornado, which long-suffering Americans call a tornado, is worth mentioning specifically. This is a mesocyclone, an air vortex, the pressure in the center of which drops to a record low. The funnel in the form of a trunk or a whip during movement increases and, absorbing the earth and objects, changes color to a darker one. Wind speed exceeds 50 m / s, possessing tremendous destructive power. The diameter of the vortex column is sometimes hundreds of meters. A column descending from a thundercloud draws objects, cars and buildings with truly gigantic force. Tornado sometimes captures hundreds of kilometers, destroying everything that appears on the road.
Hurricanes, storms, tornadoes are sometimes observed on Russian territory. In particular, hurricanes most often occur in the northern regions: in Kamchatka, in the Khabarovsk Territory, in Chukotka, on Sakhalin Island. But tornadoes in Russia are an infrequent phenomenon. One of the first references to this phenomenon dates back to the 15th century. Significant damage was also brought by the tornado of 1984 in the city of Ivanovo. And in 2004 and 2009, the hurricane whirlwind did not bring serious damage.
Strong winds in Russia
Although tornadoes are rare in Russia, hurricanes and storms, of course, do happen. In strength, they, fortunately, are not as significant as the famous Camilla or Katrina, but they also lead to destruction and casualties. In addition to those mentioned, it is worth noting the most noticeable hurricanes in Russia.
date | Region | Damage |
1998 year | Moscow | Killed 8, injured 157 people. Damaged more than 2 thousand buildings, power lines. The wind speed was 31 m / s. |
year 2001 | Perm region | Residential buildings in Perm and the region were damaged, water supply was disrupted, power lines were destroyed. |
year 2001 | Kemerovo region | The city massively destroyed vast areas of agricultural land. In many residential buildings, roofs are blown away by the wind. The damage amounted to more than 50 million rubles. |
September 2001 | Sochi | One person died, 25 injured. Trees are uprooted, some are broken. Damaged roofs. |
2002 year | Novosibirsk region | Glass shattered, roofs torn down. The wind exceeded a speed of 28 m / s. Power poles destroyed, wheat crops affected. |
2003 year | Ryazan | The wind tumbled down shields, 3 people lost their lives. In general, the area of the hurricane spread to the central regions of Russia. In Moscow, the airport even stopped operating. In the Tula region, a bus was overturned, trees were felled, and houses were damaged. |
2004 year | Irkutsk region | Six people died, 58 people were seriously injured. More than 200 pylons were knocked down, as a result of which thousands of people were left without light. |
2005 year | Northern Europe | The hurricane also affected Russia: in Moscow, apartment buildings suffered, in St. Petersburg the Neva overflowed, in Kaliningrad a whirlwind tumbled down the New Year tree. The Pskov region was almost completely de-energized. |
March 2006 | South of Russia | The blow of the elements fell on Vladikavkaz: many buildings were destroyed, a lot of trees were tumbled down, 7 people suffered from the hurricane. Also, the wind flying at a speed of more than 30 m / s and abundant wet snow de-energized the Kuban, Rostov Region, Dagestan, Adygea, Stavropol Territory and Kalmykia (a state of emergency was introduced in Elista ). |
May 2006 | Altai | A crazy whirlwind, rushing at a speed of up to 40 m / s, led to the death of 2 people and massively damaged power lines. |
2006 august | Chita region | The cyclone from Baikal brought with it heavy rain and heavy squalls. People lost power supply, collectors in two streets were flooded, roofs from houses were torn down. A teenager died from electric shock. |
May 2007 | Krasnoyarsk region | Cars were damaged, communication was interrupted for a while. |
June 2007 | Volga region and the Urals | 52 people were injured, three were killed. The wind tore off wires and roofs. Falling trees damaged power lines. |
2007 year | Tomsk region | A flurry demolished the roofs of houses, there are dead (woman), 11 people were injured. Emergency mode introduced. |
July 2007 | Tatarstan | More than 40 settlements suffered from the rampant disaster, residential and office buildings were damaged. |
Russian size
Based on the above information, we can conclude: there are hurricanes in Russia, but their scale is incomparable with those that are raging in other parts of the world. Why is nature so gracious to Russian open spaces? The consequences of hurricanes in Russian territories are certainly painful for the victims, but still not as fatal and voluminous as in the United States or Australia.
The fact is that for a hurricane to occur, it is necessary that the air, filled with heat and water particles, comes into contact with the cold. And this must happen without fail over a cool surface. Therefore, most often tornadoes and hurricanes occur in the coastal areas of the southern seas. Russia does not fit into such a scheme.
"When the ocean is raging ..."
A hurricane at sea is called a storm. At the beginning of the 19th century, an admiral of the English fleet named Beaufort developed a special scale with which to this day they measure the strength of the wind. This assessment system operates both at sea and on land. The scale has a 12-point gradation. Already from 4 points waves rise up to one and a half meters, then it is already impossible to speak further in the wind, and it is very difficult to go against the air stream. In a 9-point storm, the wind rises to 24 m / s, and the waves reach a height of 10 meters. The maximum, 12-point hurricane destroys everything in its path. The first to fall are small and medium-sized vessels, for which there is almost no chance of surviving in such a wind. The sea is wildly foaming and raging. The hurricane rushes with a speed over 32 m / s.
Typhoon is also related to the oceans. This is a cyclone arising above the surface of the Atlantic, and it got its name in Asia. In translation, the word means too strong a wind. In the Sakhalin region, up to eight typhoons fall during the year. There are also Pacific hurricanes-typhoons. This type of disaster has the most disastrous consequences.
Some tropical cyclones are called super typhoons because of their eccentricity and terrible power. An example of such a hurricane is a typhoon called "Georgia." He suddenly fell in 1970 to the south of Sakhalin and mercilessly demolished everything that was possible. Unfortunately, the victims could not be avoided.
The deadliest hurricanes in the world
Examples of hurricanes, even over the past 20 years, we can often observe. The ten most destructive elements included such elements as:
- "Pauline", which raged in Mexico in 1997.
- Mitch, which destroyed the countries of Central America in 1998; the force of the hurricane sometimes reached 320 km / h, human casualties were in the tens of thousands.
- Category 5 hurricane Kenna destroyed the city of Nayarit; the wind tore up trees with roots, ruined buildings and roads, and only by a lucky chance people did not die.
- Typhoon "Ivan" attacked the Caribbean and the United States in 2004 and caused billions of dollars in damage.
- Wilma destroyed the coasts of Cuba and the United States in 2005; she claimed 62 lives.
- A huge whirlwind with a length of 900 km swept over the vastness of the United States in 2008; in 14 hours of rampant disaster, tremendous damage was done; a wind of such strength was called "Ike."
- "Charlie" in 2004 walked in Jamaica, Cuba and the United States; wind power reached 240 km / h.
- In 2012, a hurricane named Sandy killed 113 people; the elements raged in the eastern United States, especially went to the state of New York.
Female character tornado
Interestingly, the most devastating consequences of hurricanes are observed from those elements that are called female names.
These are the most capricious and unpredictable hurricanes resembling a lady in a hysterical fit. This may be a prejudice, but judge for yourself:
- One of the worst hurricanes in history is Katrina. This deadly wind hit the United States in 2005. Extensive floods, about 2 thousand human lives, hundreds of missing people - this is a tribute collected by the elements in that fateful year.
- An earlier, but no less terrible hurricane in 1970 hit India and Bangladesh. They called him strange - "Flea". More than 500 thousand people died from floods provoked by an unprecedented storm.
- The Chinese typhoon with the romantic name “Nina” wiped out a large Bancao dam from the face of the earth, causing a flood, which, according to approximate estimates, killed 230 thousand people.
- Camilla swept over the Mississippi in 1969. Meteorologists could not measure the strength of the wind, since the instruments were destroyed by the riotous elements. It is believed that hurricane gusts reached 340 km / h. Hundreds of bridges were damaged, many houses, 113 people drowned, thousands were injured.
In fairness, it should be noted that the worst hurricane, called San Calixto, is not related to women's names. Nevertheless, he became the most deadly of all registered. Tens of thousands of people died, almost all the buildings were destroyed, the wind tore off the bark from the trees before pulling them out with roots. A huge tsunami washed away everything that blocked her path. Modern experts believe that the strength of the hurricane was at least 350 km / h. This terrible event occurred in 1780 in the Caribbean.
Storm! Soon the storm will strike! Or how to measure the power of a tornado
In order to measure the strength of the wind, they again use the Beaufort scale, slightly modified, updated and supplemented. An instrument called an anemometer determines the speed of air flow. For example, the last hurricane, Patricia, recorded in Texas, had a force of 325 km / h. This was enough to demolish a large train.
The destructive force of the wind begins with 8 points. This corresponds to an air flow rate of 60 km / h. With this wind, thick trees break. Further, the wind increases to 70-90 km / h and begins to demolish fences and small buildings. A 10-point storm pulls trees with roots and destroys capital buildings. The wind force reaches 100-110 km / h. Strengthening, the element drops iron cars, like matchboxes, knocks down pillars. A hurricane with a capacity of 12 points produces total destruction, rushing at a speed of over 130 km / h. Fortunately, extremely rare hurricanes are so deadly in Russia.
Catastrophic consequences
A hurricane is a serious element, so immediately after the wind stops, you should not leave the shelter, you must wait several hours before you go into the light. The consequences of tornadoes, hurricanes, storms are very impressive. These are fallen trees, torn roofs, flooded collectors, destroyed roads, damaged electricity poles. In addition, waves caused by the wind can turn into tsunamis, sweeping away everything living and built by people. When the dams are destroyed, global floods are inevitable, and if wastewater gets into drinking tanks, this often provokes an uncontrolled increase in infectious diseases and even an epidemic.
But life will gradually begin to recover, because emergency rescue units, which ordinary residents can help, will take up work. In order to minimize the consequences, and at least avoid human casualties, there are rules of conduct before, during and after the rampage.
Rules of conduct in extreme environmental conditions
Proper and thoughtful action in a hurricane able to save the life of both the person himself and his loved ones. After meteorologists detect a hurricane and calculate its trajectory, this information is necessarily communicated to the population. Usually a standard “Warning!” Signal is given. through all channels of television, radio broadcasting and transmitting the necessary public information.
The preparatory phase includes the following steps:
- sources of information remain on so as not to miss important points;
- students must be allowed to go home;
- if the hurricane is already starting to rage, then the students take refuge in the basement;
- it is necessary to prepare supplies of water, food and medicines for about 3 days;
- lanterns, lamps, candles, portable stoves must be available;
- glass is glued crosswise or in the shape of a star;
- shop windows are protected by large shields;
- balconies are cleaned of objects and trash that the wind can carry;
- window sills should be empty;
- in villages, cattle are driven into a fortified stable equipped with a supply of food and water; summer buildings are attached as far as possible;
- the windows on the windward side are tightly closed, but on the opposite, on the contrary, remain open.
What actions should be done during a hurricane after hearing about its approach? Firstly, turn off electrical appliances and gas stoves, fix the taps. Secondly, bring along a suitcase with the most necessary things and documents. Then transfer the stocks of food, medicine, water to a safe haven and take refuge there with your family. If there is no such shelter, then in the house you need to hide under reliable furniture, in niches, doorways. In no case should you go to the windows that you first need to curtain.
In the event that the elements are found in an open area, any ravine or depression can serve as a refuge. Bridges can be an excellent shelter, or rather the place under them. It is necessary to stay away from billboards, torn wires, narrow passages (danger of crowds), lowlands, since there is the possibility of flooding. Before a hurricane, you must definitely agree with your loved ones about the meeting place in case of various unforeseen circumstances.
After the completion of the elements:
- do not light matches, since a gas leak is not ruled out;
- untreated water should not be used, as it may be very contaminated;
- you should find out if your neighbors need first aid.
Hurricanes in Russia happen infrequently, but you still need to know these rules, because natural disasters, due to climate change, tend to change their localization.