Breezy Says "Keep cool--that's my rule!"
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Tornadoes:
What in the World's Are They?
What makes tornadoes dangerous is that their energy is concentrated in a small area, perhaps only a hundred yards across.
Tornadoes can form any time of year, but many occur in the stormy spring, when these warm and cold air masses collide. Storms often are triggered where two different kinds of air masses meet, such as dry and moist air masses, or cold and warm air masses.
Most tornadoes form from thunderstorms. They start with warm, moist air from ONE SIDE and cool, dry air from THE OPPOSITE SIDE and When these two air masses meet, they create instability in the atmosphere.
A change in wind direction and a greater wind speed with increasing height creates an invisible, horizontal spinning effect in the lower atmosphere.
Rising air within the updraft tilts the rotating air from horizontal to vertical. An area of rotation, 2-6 miles wide, now extends through much of the storm. Most strong and violent tornadoes form within this area of strong rotation.
Where in the World's Are There Tornadoes?
Tornadoes occur just about everywhere in the world, from India to Australia, and all over the United States, but the most famous and active breeding ground for tornadoes is Tornado Alley.
Tornado Alley extends from Texas up through Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska to the Dakotas. Warm, moist air from the Gulf of Mexico clashes with cold air from the north and fuels storms that form there.
Fluffy says: "When I go round and round - you don't want me on the ground"
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World's Biggest Tornadoes
The most violent tornadoes are capable of tremendous destruction with wind speeds of up to 300 mph. They can destroy large buildings, uproot trees and hurl vehicles hundreds of yards. They can also drive straw into trees. Damage paths can be in excess of one mile wide to 50 miles long. In an average year, 1000 tornadoes are reported
Deadliest North America Tornadoes
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