Tornadoes

Steven W. Sean T. Michael T.

What is a tornado?
A tornado is defined as a violently rotating column of air extending
from a thunderstorm to the ground. The most violent tornadoes are
capable of tremendous destruction with wind speeds of 250 mph or
more. Damage paths can be in excess of one mile wide and 50 miles
long. In an average year, 800 tornadoes are reported nationwide.

How do tornados form?

Tornados form from warm moist air from the gulf of Mexico mixing
with dry air from Canada

Supercell Tornadoes
Some of the most violent tornadoes develop from supercell
thunderstorms
A kind of thunderstorm that is characterized by a rotating, long-lived,
intense updraft of air.
Supercell thunderstorms, and the tornadoes they sometimes
produce, are most common in the central Plains region of the United
States.

How are tornados categorized?

Tornados are categorized by wind speeds

Waterspout tornados
Waterspout tornadoes are a type of tornado that form over water
Waterspouts does not suck up water they are really small
It weak and rotating columns of air over the water

Fire tornados
A fire tornado is when rising heat and winds combine
This makes the air start to swirl and form a fire tornado

Tornado chasers
Tornado chasers are people who watch the tornadoes form
And they collect data about them to do research

What is the strongest tornado on record?

The tornado that went through El Reno it had winds up to 300 mph
It was 2.6 miles wide at its maximum and carved a 16.2 mile path
across mostly rural land west of Oklahoma
most powerful class, an EF-5 ranking,

How long do tornadoes last?

Tornadoes can last from a few seconds to more than an hour. They
might remain on the ground for just a few yards or for more than 100
miles. On average, tornadoes move from the southwest to the
northeast at about 30 mph.

Where are tornados most common?

Tornado alley is the part of the United States where tornados are
most frequent , parts of Texas and Oklahoma

END