A person cannot breathe inside a tornado. The environment within the funnel is hostile, and the threats extend beyond a simple lack of oxygen. The danger is a complex combination of extreme physical forces, a rapid pressure drop, and high-velocity projectiles. Exposure to the core of a mature tornado results in near-instantaneous fatality from multiple simultaneous mechanisms.
The Immediate Threat of Extreme Wind Speed
The primary physical hazard is the mechanical force exerted by the rotating air. Highest-end EF5 tornadoes generate wind speeds exceeding 300 miles per hour, creating dynamic pressures. This force is capable of shredding wooden structures and making automobiles airborne.
A human body exposed to this wind stream would instantly suffer blunt trauma and shearing injuries. The rapid acceleration would lead to catastrophic impact with the ground or other objects. Survival is impossible when the surrounding air moves with the force required to tear apart buildings.
Air Pressure Drop and Physiological Effects
Separate from the wind’s mechanical force is the rapid drop in atmospheric pressure within the tornado’s core. The intense rotation creates a central region of significantly reduced barometric pressure.
In a strong tornado, the pressure can drop by as much as 100 millibars (2.95 inches of mercury, Hg) relative to the air outside the storm. This sudden pressure change is equivalent to rapidly ascending several thousand feet. Record measurements have shown drops up to 5.72 inches Hg.
The human body cannot compensate for such extreme decompression, making it impossible for the lungs to draw air effectively against the pressure gradient. Air trapped within internal cavities, such as the sinuses and middle ear, would expand violently, resulting in barotrauma. This environment prevents normal respiration and causes immediate internal distress.
The Overwhelming Danger of Debris
Even if the wind force and pressure drop were survivable, the high-velocity debris within the funnel makes survival impossible. The air is a dense, rapidly rotating slurry of objects lifted from the ground. These include glass shards, fractured lumber, and metal sheeting, all moving at lethal speeds.
Impact from flying debris is the most common cause of injury and death in a tornado event. Objects are turned into projectiles by the vortex’s rotation. A person caught within the circulation would be struck multiple times, resulting in fatal trauma before the effects of barometric pressure or wind shear could take effect.