Juan Jose Valencia

Hurricane Irene Spawns Tornadoes, Damage Reported in Delaware, Virginia

As Hurricane Irene moved north, with its winds and torrents of rain, it caused tornadoes in at least four states, andofficials warned they could be as dangerous as the hurricane itself.
Tornadoes were reported in New Jersey, Virginia, Maryland and Delaware.
Delaware's Gov. Jack Markell said he believed a tornado torethrough 17 homes near Lewes, Del., and off Rehoboth Beach, the National Weather Service reported a waterspout -- essentially, a tornado out at sea. There were no reports of major injuries.
At leastfive homes in the Sandbridge area of Virginia Beach, Va., sustained major damage from a tornado, said Mary Hancock, a spokeswoman for the city, but the area had already been evacuated and there were noinjuries reported. Several other homes in the area were less seriously damaged.
"The category of hurricane doesn't explain all the risk," Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Craig Fugatesaid. "Rainfall and tornadoes are not tied to the category of a storm ... some of the most devastating floods have been from tropical storms."

What do tornadoes have to do with hurricanes? Ahurricane is a giant vortex of low presure sending wind and rain whipping around -- but also drawing air in from other, dryer areas to fill the vacuum created by the storm. When cooler, dryer air collideswith the muggy air of the hurricane, the conditions are ripe for funnel clouds to spin off in almost any direction.
While the tornadoes are much smaller than the hurricane itself, they can beconsiderably more intense. Their strength -- and the amount of damage they can cause -- is not related to the strength of the hurricane.
Americans most often hear about tornadoes in the Midwest and South,especially in the spring as cold air from Canada is pushed back by the growing warmth in the Gulf of Mexico. That formula makes for the largest number of tornadoes on earth. But meteorologists say...