Abilene Reporter-News from Abilene, Texas • 11

Tornado a Funnel Until It Touches Ground public Schnabel said WHEN TORNADO conditions exist a tornado watch is posted for the area The watch means that conditions may be ripe for a tornado over a period of about six hours Schnabel said A tornado warning may follow a watch This is an actual alert that a tornado has touched the ground in the area Schnabel said reported either by citizens or radar dark thundercloud snaking down from heights as high as 60G3 fret At times the tornado may rise to treetop level and skip over the landscape Schnabel explained Tornado warning means a twister is already on ground -Forecaster Jack Schnabel the twister sucks away the air from the outside of the structure The idea Schnabel explained is to equalize the pressure on both sides of the walls of a structure so that the pressure within the house will net explode it as the tornado passes Schnabel stressed that citizens are the eyes of the Weather Service and they should watch the sky for signs of funnel activity when a watch is posted He added however that such watchers should be on guard against overreaction to cloud formations Low hanging clouds columns of rain or the pouchy-looking cloud formations that often occur during thunderstorms should not be mistaken for funnel clouds Schnabel stressed A tornado funnel forms an unmistakable peak he said By JOE DACY II Reporter-News Staff Writer Tornado season is coming With a record high number of 1107 deadly twisters over the United States last year the National Weather Service in Abilene is taking no chances of informing the public of its only defense-quick action Tornadoes forecaster Jack Schnabel explained have their greatest frequency in April May and June coinciding with the periods of greatest thunderstorm activity Over all of Texas 37 tornadoes struck in April 70 in May and 45 in June of last year Schnabel said Fourteen deaths were reported in Texas in 1073 Statistics show that an average of four twisters strike for every 10000 square miles of Texas annually The Weather Service defines a tornado as violently rotating column or forming a funnel-shaped cloud mass which drops to the ground A funnel cloud becomes a tornado only when it strikes the ground Schnabel said TORNADOES RANGE in width from 20 feet to over a mile averaging 300 to 400 yards The average length of a path is about 16 miles Schnabel said and the usual duration is no longer than 15 minutes Because of their speedy formation short duration and awesome destructive power tornadoes are one of the most difficult weather phenomenon to cope with Schnabel said 'Massive or unusually violent thunderstorms may indicate the possibility of a tornado however except for special atmospheric conditions there is little the public can count on to warn them of an impending twister The National Weather Service in Abilene has devised a system which can allow instant communication to the imbalance since warm air tends to rise The warm air rises in a spiral and forms the vortex of the tornado Schnabel explained A third factor is known as the jet stream an extremely fast flow of air at the upper levels of the atmosphere moving from west to east across the country The tremendous winds of the jet stream add to the possibility of tornado formation Schnabel said THE WEATHER Service said last year that increased jet stream activity over the United States was partly responsible for the tremendous number of twisters Where these three wind forces intersect is where the National Weather Service places the tornado warning on the weather map Schnabel said Schnabel stressed that these conditions may occur at any time of the day or night and at any time of the year He said however that tornadoes the time of day when the temperature is the wannest usually in the afternoon between 2 pm and 7 pm during the spring The meteorologist explained that wind speeds of the vortex may change from zero to 300 mph within the space of 15 or 20 feet accounting for the freakish things which can happen when a tornado strikes TOP WIND speeds of a small tornado range from 50 to 150 mph but one tornado in Kansas was clocked at 280 mph by means of doppler radar Schnabel said He added however that no one is sure about the exact speed of the whirling winds can be The rate at which a tornado travels is usually 10 to 53 mph he said They usually move from the southwest to the northeast Funnel clouds are known to from the base of a Fourteen deaths reported from Texas tornadoes during 1973 When this happens a direct line from the weather service at the airport to all radio and television stations in the city is activated allowing forecasters to broadcast weather conditions directly to the public The police department is immediately notified and in turn the fire department which controls the city's civil defense warning system activates the high-pitched Sirens Schnabel said the weather conditions which form tornadoes are the result basically of three different factors BOTH THUNDERSTORM activity and associated twisters are the result of a kind of war between two different types of air masses: cool dry air from southern Mexico and warm moist air from the Gulf Especially in the spring these two types of air masses are likely to collide as they converge from the southwest and southeast respectively Tornadoes farm when the cool dry air overrides the warm moist air creating an Some of the larger tornadoes also have an in the middle where wind speeds are virtually nil he said THE WEATHER Service stresses in its brochures that immediate action can mean life or death This means seeking shelter In office buildings the Weather Service says to go to an interior hallway on the lowest floor or to a designated civil defense shelter In factories persons should go to the most protected area of the plant and in homes to the basement or a loom without windows Mobile homes are especially vulnerable to windstorms The Weather Sen-ice advises mobile home owners to leave them and seek shelter elsewhere during a tornado warning SCHNABEL ALSO stressed the difference between a watch and a warning A watch means that conditions are ripe for a twister a warning means that one is already on the ground in the area Contrary to popular myth opening the northwest windows of a home may not be all that is necessary to keep the house from exploding as Duplicate Bridge Winners Listed Winners have been announced in the Thursday morning and night Duplicate Bridge Club games at the Catholic Center Thursday morning winners were: first Mrs Barkley of Anson and Mrs II Cooper of Sweetwater they tied Mrs Duncan and Mrs Dan McGee second Mrs Jewel Hailey and Mrs Robert Ford were in a three-way tie with Mrs Clark and Mrs Bob Dempsey and Mrs Eugene Webb and Mrs Leola Maxwell third Mrs Ruth Cooper and Mrs Jessie Amis fourth Mrs Jewel Butler and Mrs Sadler of Merkel Thursday night winners were: first Lt and Mrs Pate Willingham second Dr Richard Moore and Mrs Jessie Amis third Mr and Mrs Ricks fourth Mr and Mrs Dub Bartlett 1938 Clyde Tornado i This awesome twister roared through Clyde on June 10 1938 killing 14 per-sons The photo was taken by Shy Osborn of Cisco from Mt Airy west of Baird glrifatt PAGE ONE SECTION ABILENE TEX FRI EVENING MARCH 15 1974 THE KNITS -Arrow Abies Is Given Ten-Year Terms A Terrific! These active Sportswear Shirts of 100 textured polyester or 100 nylon Their built-in comfort always remains There are stripes and solids and colors combined with color There are roglan sleeves and set-in sleeves 4 button closings Webbed bottoms and cuffs of just hems Cool Springtime colors or dark tones Sizes S-M- L-XL Priced from 750 to 1300 in this collection Downtown River Oaks Abies promised Judge Lane last December to repay the stolen money within about nine months When Abies failed to make the first $20000 payment as ordered on Feb 1 his probation was revoked THE JURY HAD convicted Abies of the 1969 theft of $3800 in foundation funds and the 17 indictments to which Abies pleaded guilty Thursdav represented the remaining $57758 the foundation reported missing Jn his jury trial Abies admitted stealing the funds from the foundation by setting up an account in Ridglea State Bank in Fort Worth writing checks to that account purportedly to pay for work done for the foundation then withdrawing funds from that account to convert to his own use THE CHECKS Abies admitted stealing ranged from $167850 to $5000 and were made payable to Allen Plumbing Co Design Engineering Co Universal Engineering Co Inc and Batjer and Associates all ostensibly for work done at the US Brass-Valley Faucet project here The firms named in the indictments had done none of Ihe work for which the payment ostensibly was made nor did officials of those companies have any knowledge of the transactions evidence showed Abies was manager of the Abilene Industrial Foundation for more than four years resigning on Nov 15 1971 to accept the position of manager of the Economic Development Department of the Wichita Kans Area Chamber of Commerce A native of Dublin he was manager or the Baird Chamber of Commerce from 1961-63 assistant manager of the Abilene Chamber or Commerce from 1963-65 and general manager of the Brownwood Chamber of Commerce and Brownwood Industrial Foundation for two years Seventeen 10-ycar prison lerms were given to Elton Abies former manager of the Abilene Industrial Foundation on Thursday after he dismissed his appeal of his probation revocation for failing to repay funds he had admitted stealing from the foundation and pleaded guilty to the remaining 17 felony theft indictments TJie 17 terms will run concurrently The revocation of the probation ended legal requirement to repay the 361558 he had stolen from the foundation He had promised to repay1 the amount when he was granted probation by a 42nd jury December He now will go to prison JUDGE DON LANE said he willallow the maximum terms to run concurrently Abies could be considered for parole in less than three years A civil suit has been filed by the foundation to recover the funds That suit is pending Hie only way repayment of the- funds could be enforced legally was by making it a condition of probation No Indictments Filed on Airlines SAN ANTONIO Tex (AP) Federal grand jury scrutiny of Braniff International Airways and Texas International Airlines may not have ended although a grand jury was discharged after returning no Indictments "I expect the antitrust division to pursue the matter with another grand jury" said US Atty William Sessions A grand jury empaneled in September 1972 was discharged Wednesday by District Court Adrian Spears a day prior to its 18-month term's expiration Spears also noted the Investigation may not be complete The grand jury assisted by federal antitrust prosecutors heard testimony dhd called for any actions Branirf and Texas documents which might show International may have taken in connection with Southwest Airlines On file with the US District Clerk here are documents entitled Jury Investigation of Branirf Airways Inc and Texas International Airlines Inc" which seek testimony for airlines officials THOUGHTS More than that we rejoice In our sufferings knowing that suffering produces endurance and endurance produces character and character produces nomans 5:34 a a and personal force are the only Investments that are worth anything Walt Whitman American poet.