![Airflow in a vortex [1600x853 - 1.21MB]](https://pic8.co/sh/bpCu96.jpg){kind=link}
A tornado is basically a helicopter rotor upside down.
A tornado is basically a helicopter rotor upside down.
Because the back-draft(updraft) is rotating, even though the air is travelling away from the inlet(the ground and so called infill layer) at a high velocity, the curved path of the vortex wall means it takes longer for the updraft to travel up than the down draft to travel down. This speed difference along with the centrifugal force of the airmass pushing outwards as it rotates creates a low pressure core. The airflow direction of the low pressure core is towards the point of origin. Therefore the low pressure core of the vortex is the source of drag itself since the flow vector is in the opposite direction of vortex expansion.
With an airplane, the vortex core is flowing in the opposite direction that the plane is travelling, with a tornado, the vortex core has a downdraft jet towards the earth, while the circulating updraft moves towards the clouds.
Because the back-draft(updraft) is rotating, even though the air is travelling away from the inlet(the ground and so called infill layer) at a high velocity, the curved path of the vortex wall means it takes longer for the updraft to travel up than the down draft to travel down. This speed difference along with the centrifugal force of the airmass pushing outwards as it rotates creates a low pressure core. The airflow direction of the low pressure core is towards the point of origin. Therefore the low pressure core of the vortex is the source of drag itself since the flow vector is in the opposite direction of vortex expansion.
With an airplane, the vortex core is flowing in the opposite direction that the plane is travelling, with a tornado, the vortex core has a downdraft jet towards the earth, while the circulating updraft moves towards the clouds.
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