Hurricanes and tornadoes spinning

Factual Questions
1

When I taught Earth Science a few years ago, I finally actually understood for a moment why hurricanes spin as they do, but I’ve forgotten part of it. I’ll continue to research this, but it’s not the kind of thing that apparently is on HowStuffWorks.

As I understand it: the Coriolis Effect makes the general air flow of colder air from the polar regions be east to west as that air approaches the tropics. This accounts for the pattern of hurricanes forming in the eastern Caribbean and hitting Florida. The general pattern of the air flow is a clockwise circle, seen from above, and that left part of the circle pushes the storm west/north, into the American east coast. Right?

What I can’t remember at all is why the rotation of the hurricane itself is counter-clockwise. I remember it somehow does make sense with the Coriolis Effect, but I just can’t remember how.
Another thing that is consistently skipped on the web pages about tornadoes is an explanation is why the meeting of cold and warm fronts should cause violent rotations. What is keeping that air rotating? What is providing the centripetal force to keep the air rotating? I think it could be a vacuum at the center of the funnel, but why is there such a strong vacuum there? This apparently starts in the storm cloud, but I just can’t understand what’s actually happening.

Any actual ES nerds or meteorologists out there?

2

This diagram might help.

3

Well, that diagram doesn’t help, at least not me. Once again, Wikipedia is written at such a depth on technical matters that even a sciency person has only a long shot at understanding it. You need to understand pressure gradient force, which is explained on its own page pretty much only by equations, with almost no actual explanation.

After talking to my dad, I think I have it now, but not from that diagram.

4

Ahhhh, the wonders of tornadoes!

Growing up I went to a lot of meetings and public training events via a cb club my dad was in. Unfortunately, a. I did not maintain a lot of the information provided and b.a lot of the known facts about tornadoes were challenged on June 3, 1980 , “I’ve never seen anything like it”

I know this doesnt help in re: to your question about tornadoes, but I thought this tidbit of info might come in handy… someday… ?

*I WISH I could find a TV documentary regarding this event, especially accompanied with meteorologist findings and explanations!