By Matt Weiler
For the Daily
Springtime.
Budding trees, blossoming flowers.
And tornadoes.
Prof. Peter Sousounis, who works in the department of atmospheric, oceanic and space sciences, estimates that Michigan gets 16 of these devastating dervishes a year.
Fortunately for the University and all of Ann Arbor, the frequency of tornadoes is much lower for the eastern part of the state. In other words, Ann Arbor is out of the hot zone, Sousounis said.
"I think we're probably in the middle," Sousounis said. "In the northwest and Upper Peninsula, the probability approaches zero."
This doesn't mean, Sousounis warns, that we can't be burned by a funnel's wrath.
"On June 8, 1953, a tornado struck Flint, killing 125 people," Sousounis said.
According to USA Today Online, Michigan ranks 20th in the number of tornadoes touching down between 1950-1995 (712), 8th in injuries from tornadoes (3,214) and 5th in tornado fatalities (237). Most touchdowns occur in April, May and June, when conditions are ideal.
In these spring months, moist air interacts with dry, cold winter air, generating a column of rising and swirling wind, known as a vortex. The vortex pulls air up from the ground, creating a low-pressure area.
This space on the ground cools, condensing water vapor, which gives the tornado its funnel shape. As it meanders along, it picks up dirt and debris, which gives it its characteristic gray color.
Tornadoes can be an awesome and humbling sight, said Jeremy Welling, an Engineering first-year student from Farmington Hills, who said he observed a tornado in the northern part of the state.
"I was in shock," Welling said. "It knocked down a few trees. It was just a skinny funnel. Then it took out a power line."
The preceding calm can be just as impressive, said Jackie Pelliter, an LSA first-year student. "It was pretty cool. The sky was green," Pelliter said. "It got really still. Then my dad told me to get in the house."
Although an impressive event, a tornado can be sinister. Winds within a tornado can reach 320 miles per hour, and its path is random - it can decimate one house and leave the neighboring home untouched. When tornadoes strike, immediate action may mean life or death, according to Robert Patrick, associate director of the Department of Public Safety.
"Many people do not know how to properly protect themselves when an actual tornado is sighted," Patrick said. "Knowing what to do can save your life and the lives of others."