LMAC #62: Tornadoes

in Let's Make a Collage3 years ago (edited)

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Shaka's photo this week reminded me of Kansas.

The Photo by @shaka
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Anybody who has seen The Wizard of Oz, will likely associate Kansas with Dorothy, and a tornado.

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Cover for the Book, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
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Image credit: W.W. Denslow, author, 1900. The book upon which the movie was based. Copyright free.

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It is actually true that Kansas has a lot of tornadoes. In the United States, this Plains state has more tornadoes each year than any other state, except for Texas. As a matter of fact, Codell, Kansas, commemorates its rather remarkable tornado history with a Cyclone Day Memorial.

Cyclone Day Memorial, Codell Kansas
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Image credit: Palbert0. Used under a CC 4.0 license.

Codell holds the dubious honor of having had a tornado on the same day for three successive years: May 20 of 1916, 1917, and 1918.

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Evolution of a Tornado, Kansas

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Image credit: JasonWeingart. Used under a CC 4.0 license.

The image above shows the development of a tornado cell on May 24, 2016. Eight pictures were taken as the tornado progressed north of Minneola, Kansas. Eventually, twelve tornadoes were produced by this one 'supercell'.

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Rating Tornado Strength

Ever since 2007, the U. S. National Weather Service has used an EF number, 0 to 5, as a measure of tornado strength. EF stands for Enhanced Fujita, and looks at both damage on the ground and wind speed. An EF0 tornado will have wind speeds of 65-85 mph (3 second wind gust). An EF5 will have wind speeds greater than 200 mph (3 second wind gust).

An F5 Tornado in Elie Manitoba, 2007
F5 tornado_Elie_Manitoba_2007 Justin Hobson 3.0.jpg
Image credit: Justin1569 at English Wikipedia. Used under CC 3.0 license

Lightning and Tornadoes

Often, observers on the ground report seeing no lightning strikes during a tornado. However, according to Stephanie Paige Ogburn, writing in E&E News, this does not reflect what is occurring in the clouds overhead.

Rain and Lightning as a Tornado begins (Romania?)
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Image credit: Ioan Cepaliga. Used under a CC 3.0 icense

Instruments designed to detect lightning activity record a great deal of lightning, especially as a storm is approaching and building in strength.

While rain and hail are associated with tornadoes, there have been many instances where tornadoes occurred under dry conditions. According to NOAA, "Hail, or any particular pattern of rain, lightning or calmness, is not a reliable predictor of tornado threat".

A Hailshaft
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Image credit: Bidgee. CC 2.5 license

A hailshaft is "a precipitation-filled downdraft containing large amounts of hail". A hailshaft is visible to an observor and reaches vertically from cloud to ground.

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Cyclones and Tornadoes

Both cyclones and tornadoes are wind-driven, destructive events. However, there are differences, according to the website, Diffen. One of the differences is that a tornado has the familiar rotating column of air. Both storm systems are rated according to wind speed and damage. The scales used to rate cyclones are the Beaufort Scale and Saffir-Simpson scales. The application of these two scales to rate cyslones varies by country.

Cyclone Catarina, Off the Coast of Brazil, March 26, 2004
Cyclone_Catarina_from_the_ISS_on_March_26_2004 copyright free nasa.JPG
Image credit: NASA. Copyright free

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One thing cyclones and tornadoes share is the direction of the spin. Both spin clockwise in the southern hemisphere and counterclockwise in the northern hemisphere. The spin is influenced by the earth's axis. However, tornadoes and cyclones can defy the usual and spin in the opposite direction.

My Collage

Two of the elements in this collage are my own: the lady running and the barn in the tornado funnel. The lady running is derived from a children's book I wrote some years ago, and illustrated (badly). The picture I had of her was fuzzy, so I downloaded that picture and painted/colored it to get better definition.

Fuzzy lady
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The barn in the tornado column came from the same children's book. This image required little modification:
barn for blog.jpg

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At first, when I saw @shaka's picture, I thought of making an island with a myth theme. That became very complicated.

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Then I thought of locusts, because Kansas and locusts go together in my mind as much as tornadoes do.

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However, the technical difficulties of creating a swarm of locusts was challenging. Also, not attractive.

I soon settled on a tornado scene and decided to give it a retro look by adding canvas and oilify overlay (from GIMP).

Other elements in the blog (public domain) were:
A cornfield Pixabay, by Kapa65
A drawing of a dog Pixabay
A tornado Pixabay
And lightning Pixabay, by RonBerg

Gimp, Paint, and Paint 3D were used to size, resize and add effects.

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Thank you, @shaka, for another interesting and creative exercise. I am drawn like a firefly to the light each week when you post one of your stunning photos. This week's photo was evocative for me in so many ways (obviously).

Readers of my post, please head over to @shaka's blog to see what other collage creators have produced. It's an amazing array of individuality and creativity.

I'd also like to thank the resident LMAC teacher, @quantumg. This week I used yet another of his tips in creating my collage.

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Thank you for reading my blog

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Tornadoes, a picture book, locusts... Your post is very good, @agmoore.
But let's talk about this magnificent collage. The first thing I noticed, and I liked it very much, is that it looks like an old image. A page cut out of those you find among old papers while cleaning. The page tells a story of a catastrophe, but it manages to have a spark of humor.
You say that you abandoned the mythical idea, but I see it in the cornfield and in that unique ray that lights up the scene, as if Zeus had decided to punish that little piece of Kansas.
For some reason, the dog is still a happy dog, a gentle form that makes you smile.
This collage is one of my favorites this week. It is a lovely work, which creates an impressive atmosphere.

Un abrazo enorme, querida @agmoore.

Por cierto, me gustan las versiones previas también.

Hello friend @adncabrera,
Thank you for that wonderful appraisal. I had in mind when I created the collage the books of Laura Ingalls Wilder. These I read when I was very young. Since then I've studied history and have read more sophisticated works, but her books created an indelible impression.

The dog: I tried to draw a dog, but it was not good. The dog was meant to be cheerful. Although animals are believed to have a preternatural sense of disaster, certain types want to play, always. The lady is running and the dog is thinking, "OK, fun!" Anyway, that's how I saw it.

Every week @shaka sends us in different directions. That's the fun. No compass, no guidepost. Just our imaginations, set free.

I hope you are well and peaceful. Times are challenging, but the grace of creative exercise is that at least momentarily we can set that aside.

Very warm regards,
AG

Dear @agmoore, I never read Ingalls' books, but I did watch the TV series based on "The Little House on the Prairie" when I was little and I loved it. However, a couple of years ago, in a notalgic outburst, I tried to watch a chapter and didn't survive it... hehehe.
It is true what you say about the challenges of 'shaka'. I have found myself waiting for the picture of the week with true longing. The collage has me in love.
This week I also remembered my childhood and it was good. And also I put there a dog!🌝
In my place we are fine and we plan to continue like this. Take care of yourself.
☃️

We like the island too, but the tornado sweeps everything away. An absolute masterpiece.
Good luck with it! 🤓😎

I very much appreciate the joint appearance of your remarkable personalities. The island scene might have been more sinister in the long run (which I know you like), with monsters threatening. I simply did not have the time to work out that scheme.

Thank you for your very generous estimation of my effort this week. I have the benefit of your kind words, and the fun of making the piece. A winning formula.

I hope the two of you are at peace, and at least occasionally reconciling your differences 😄

I hope the two of you are at peace, and at least occasionally reconciling your differences 😄

At the moment we get on well and are very happy with each other. Maybe because it's Christmas soon !? 🤓😎

Once again you have produced another wonderful collage and this time they are all beautiful and unique in their own way, educating us on tornados

That is very kind of you. You are such a talented artist, with a distinct style and vision. Your praise is highly appreciated.
Tornadoes always scare me a little bit. Sometimes it helps to learn about something in order to lessen concern, so I taught myself. Plus, there are so many great tornado pictures for the blog.
Thanks again for visiting.

You are welcome, I have never witness a tornado. I only see it in movies

Greetings. Good work. Very interesting the facts you added to the collage.

Thank you for visiting. I appreciate your kind words. I had to look up those facts! Very interesting to me, also.

Wow ... I really like your participation collage. There is something very idyllic about it. Together with your beautiful self-painted picture elements, the photo parts and the animated effects, it forms a very fantastic scene. It looks very harmonious to me.
In my mind's eye, the scene goes beyond the animation effects. I can truly feel the atmosphere around what's going on in the scene. Good job! :-)

But the collage with the island scene is also very nice. I would love to write a book there if I wanted to write a book anywhere. :-D

Thank you also for the interesting lesson on weather phenomena.
I look forward to your Edu collages every week.

May I ask you a question ...?!
I have often seen country women in films wearing clothes and hairstyle like your painted female figure. In which rural area is this costume commonly used by women?

Hi @quantumg,
Thank you for coming by. Your praise is greatly appreciated. Want to let you know that one small tip you gave was great help with GIMP this time: Save a picture with the .xcf extension, instead of exporting it. Then you can continue working seamlessly in a future session. All the time I've used GIMP I never knew this.

You really gratify me by liking my Edu collage. It is my inclination to ask questions and then find answers. That's how I write these blogs. A question (questions), research and answers. So, I learn along with my readers. It's fun to share the journey.

I'm not sure about the historical accuracy of the farm woman's costume, but it is approximately inspired, I think, by the look in this Pinterest picture. I think in the Plains states this would be likely, but I also recall seeing a picture of my aunts (farm family, New York) in their youth with dresses that were similar to this look. The hair would be pulled back or put up because that was practical for doing hard work. The skirt couldn't be too long because that would drag on the ground when doing outdoor work.

Thank you very much for your encouraging assessment. I have fallen behind in curating the collages this week, so I don't know if you got one in. I'll be heading over there tonight to catch up.

Hello friend, excellent review of your collage related to tornadoes, today there are technologies that allow these phenomena to be detected in time to prevent the population and take measures to protect themselves, lately with global warming this has increased on the planet. In my country, Venezuela, we are lucky that its location has not been affected by tornadoes. Excellent collage, good luck in the contest.

Thank you very much for that kind assessment of my blog and collage.
Although I live in New York, where tornadoes are not as common as they are in Kansas, I have experienced a few. I remember many years ago the roof of a church in my community was carried away and trees were torn from the ground. It's kind of scary, but not like Kansas :))

Stay well.

What a great collage A.G., Dorothy, her little dog Toto and a tornado in Kansas. I love the drawing of the woman in green.

You liked my lady! Thank you. I can't draw. Every now and then I get an idea and can see how to do a thing clearly. That happened with the lady. Not good, but at least she looks human :)) That happened once when I was looking at my granddaughter while she was sleeping. Suddenly,I could do it, I could draw her face,and I did it. Like magic. Funny the way the mind works.

Thanks so much for visiting, and for the tip. Hope winter treats you kindly up there in Canada :)

Most welcome A.G. We have good weather for this time of year. The lawn is still green and no snow yet.It will be coming. ☃️ I would like some for Christmas though. Everyone has their house decorated and the snow makes it all look magical.

Yes, that’s it about the lady in green- you made her look human. I understand what you meant by sometimes it works out like magic. I’m glad you were able to capture your granddaughter’s face in a drawing.

All the best for the season to you and yours dear A.G.🎅

🎄 🎅 🎄

Terrific collage and blog. The Wizard of Oz is a classic movie for all ages since 1939. Great job.

Thank you very much @pokerm! I appreciate your visit to my blog and your generous estimation of my collage. I'll be back to upvote you tomorrow when my VP is replenished.

Hi @agmoore.
First, I want to tell you that I loved the idea of the myth's theme. Although as a collage it has become complicated... I find the idea very interesting.

Jason Weingart's image is shocking!

I find your collage very interesting. I observe your advances in digital art and I like them.

I like to see the colors and effects you choose. The scene is nuanced by the effects. It's really very interesting, because a tornado is a tragedy.

I looked closely at the scene and for a moment I thought the clouds were moving subtly. I looked again and realized that it was an effect of perception! (Whoever reads this comment and doesn't believe me, do the following: I looked for a few seconds and attentively at the image).

Finally, I admire your ability to combine ideas in a visual way. Well done!

Hello my friend,
I loved the myth theme, also. But then started to work out the story and figure how I was going to explain it in a collage. You know I do get very detailed (as you do). It got away from me. Maybe if I had two weeks instead of two days :))

I also was taken by the Weingart photo. Learning about tornadoes was neat. Looking up pictures was also fun.

Thank you for appreciating the effects. Ever since @quantumg started giving lessons I've realized how rich a resource GIMP can be. I like the canvas effect sometimes.

I've been staring at the clouds. Maybe they seem to move because of the alteration in lighting.

Thank you for your observations and for your kind estimation of my effort. I do love doing LMAC blogs.

Please stay well in these uncertain times.
Warm regards, AG

(I leave a tip tonight instead of an upvote because I'm running out of VP.)

I have read all of the @quantumg lessons but have not yet practiced the exercises.

After two awful weeks I finally have some time.

I'm going to start practicing on this software. I am looking forward to something nice.

Big hug!

I'm glad your schedule is easing. I look forward to see what your 'learning' yields.

Take care of yourself. 🌺 🌷 🌸

With warmest regards,
AG

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Thank you for the notice!

You're welcome @agmoore, that's a lot of posts, amazing! 😁
BTW, it would be very appreciated if you could support our proposal so we can keep up the good work!

I just supported the proposal, I think. I don't understand the mechanics of it, but you certainly do seem to encourage engagement and to foster a positive experience on Hive. How can that be bad?

Good luck with the proposal.
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Thank you for your unfailing support @agmoore, really appreciated! =)

 3 years ago  Reveal Comment

Muchas gracias! The storm passes...we have to hope so. Thank you very much for that lovely thought.