Lately there has been a rash of extreme weather
conditions hitting globally worldwide and
here in the Hawaiian islands.

From fire storms, fire tornadoes, brush fires, hail,
tornadoes, water spouts, snow (The Hawaiian islands is
also the 49th state in the U.S. to snow annually.),
Tsunamis' and lightening storms.

The focus here is on the Tornadoes in the Hawaiian islands.

Since the 1950s, the Hawaiian islands has been
monitored and recorded for tornadoes on NOAA (The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration), a federal agency that focuses on the condition of the ocean, the atmosphere and weather conditons.

In recent years, between 2008 to now, there has been several water spouts, funnels and tornado sightings in the areas of Waikiki, Ala Moana, to Kapolei, on the island of O'ahu in the Hawaiian islands.  

Tornadoes sightings are commonly seen in the Kapolei, Ewa,
and the Kunia areas on the island of O'ahu.
I know this, as I have witnessed seeing a medium sized
tornado, while driving on the freeway to the Kapolei and
Makakilo areas. In disbelief, I instantly thought of that tornado movie 'Twister'.

Now you may be thinking of the two main questions:
'What are tornadoes?' and 'How are tornadoes formed?'

Here are the answers:

What are tornadoes?

Tornadoes are dark funnel clouds that forms a twister,
touches land, usually spans from a few feet to a mile,
and travels with violent generated rotational winds of up
to 300 mph.
On land, tornadoes usually travel from the northeast at ranges from 20 mph to 60 mph engulfing without discrimination of everything that is in its path.

Tornadoes are also based on the Fujita scale, meaning different scales of tornadoes that varies in different sizes and different speeds.

F0 = weak and estimated wind speeds of 40-72 mph
F1 = weak and estimated wind speeds of 73-112 mph
F2 = strong and estimated wind speeds of 113-157 mph
F3 = strong and estimated wind speeds of 158-206 mph
F4 = violent and estimated wind speeds of 207-260 mph
F5 = violent and estimated wind speeds of 261-318 mph

How are tornadoes formed?

Tornadoes are formed through strong thunderstorms known
as "super cells". The storms generates friction when
warm moisture air is met with cool dry air. This
combination produces thunder (sound of when cool and
hot air are compressed) and lightning (static electricity).

Hail is then produced in condensed cold air clouds called
Cumulonimbus clouds, where pieces of rain is formed in
high updrafts and creates ice, which is then released due
to the weight that the clouds can no longer hold.
Hail is not to be confused with snow, as snow
is light hexagon star shaped ice crystals, that lightly
glides downward to land.
The presence of hail is usually generated before a funnel
starts to gain strength.

How are tornadoes related to the environment and what impact
does it create in the Hawaiian islands?

Since tornadoes create destruction by tossing everything
around in it's path, Hawai'i tornado generated areas
should be safe and free from any hazardous liquids
and hazardous materials, as this could cause a more
potential threat to the land, animals and people, living /
visiting / working in residential areas and businesses.

What can you do if you see hazardous materials and or
 hazardous liquids in these areas?

• If you happen to see any illegal dumping, call 911.  The HPD (Honolulu Police Department) responds quickly and can also contact the right response teams for the hazardous materials and or hazardous liquids.
  

Other numbers to contact:

• Hazardous waste dumpings and hazardous chemical spills:  Hawai'i State Department of Health.  Hazard Evaluation and Emergency Response (HEER) 808.586.4249 (daytime), 808.247.2191 (after hours)
  

• Non-emergency abandoned metal dumpings (appliances, abandoned vehicles):  Hawai'i State Department of Health, Solid and Hazardous Waste Branch, 808.586.4226 (daytime)
  

• City & County of Honolulu, Department of Environmental Services, 808.768.3300 (daytime)
  

• Investigative Support:  U.S. EPA Criminal Investigation Division, 808.554.5650 (24 hrs.), 808.265.1260 (24 hrs.)
  

For more information on
Environmental offenses, visit http://www.opala.org

More tips:

• For safety, avoid going near a tornado, as flying debris may discharge to the area that you are in and or may be caught in.
  

• If you happen to be near a tornado, retreat to a nearby sturdy bridge and go under where the foundation of the bridge is rooted and or seek a nearby underground shelter.
  

Safety is always key!
And remember to be safe Hawai'i and to clean green!