Man Stumbles Upon a Hidden Tornado in Australia Using Google Earth—You Won’t Believe How!
A casual Google Earth search led a man to discover a previously unknown tornado in Australia, surprising researchers and highlighting the power of satellite technology.
Australia, Tornado, Google Earth, Nullarbor Plain, EF-2
Australia: A guy was just browsing the Australian outback on Google Earth when he spotted something odd. He noticed a strange scar in the ground that caught his eye. Turns out, it was the mark left by a tornado that no one knew about!
This discovery is pretty cool because it shows how satellite technology can help researchers find tornadoes, especially in huge places like Australia. It’s not just North America that gets tornadoes; they can pop up all over the world.
In fact, tornadoes happen on every continent except Antarctica. They’re pretty common in places like Bangladesh and South Africa, especially during the warmer months.
Australia has seen over 1,300 tornadoes in its history, with about 900 confirmed since 1950. Most of these tornadoes are weak and don’t last long, but some have caused serious damage.
So, this guy was looking for caves when he stumbled upon this 11 km long scar in the Nullarbor Plain. Scientists took a closer look and confirmed it was from a tornado that touched down on November 17, 2022.
They found cycloidal patterns in the scar, which are signs of tornado winds. Researchers believe it was a strong EF-2 tornado, with winds reaching up to 223 km/h. It’s wild to think how many tornadoes might go unnoticed, especially in places where not many people live.
In Canada, for example, they see about 65 tornadoes a year, but the real number is likely much higher since many go unreported. The Northern Tornadoes Project is working to find these hidden tornadoes using drones and satellite images.