Tornados

Tornados

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A tornado is a strong windstorm with a spinning column of air that comes down from a thunderstorm to the ground. Similar to a hurricane, a tornado is a kind of cyclone. A cyclone is an area of low pressure with winds spinning around the center. In a low-pressure area, warm, light air rises up. Tornadoes can come in different sizes, shapes, and colors.

TORNADO

They can happen in many places around the world, but not in the North and South Pole regions. In the United States, where tornadoes are sometimes called twisters, there are about 1,000 of them each year. Most tornadoes occur between March and June, especially in the Midwest. However, they can form at any time of the year.

TORNADO

​Tornado Alley
The middle part of the United States is an area that has many tornadoes, particularly in the spring.

Tornadoes form when different types of air mix in a big spinning wind system. Warm, wet air comes from one way, and cold, dry air comes from another way. These mixed-up air streams make big storms called thunderstorms. If the weather is very special, these thunderstorms can grow super tall, even reaching 50,000 feet high! Sometimes, these big storms start to spin, and small spinning storms called tornadoes can appear inside them.

How Do Tornados Form?

Tornadoes often start as a funnel-shaped cloud that hangs down from a thundercloud. Sometimes, this funnel reaches all the way to the ground, while other times, it just dangles in the air. When the funnel comes more than halfway down, it means the tornado's swirling air has reached the ground. You might notice dust spinning around as a sign of a tornado.

Tornadoes can happen alone or in small groups. Sometimes, many tornadoes can occur together in what we call tornado clusters or swarms. Since the 1970s, there has been an increase in these tornado clusters, meaning there's a higher chance of multiple tornadoes on a single day.

How do Tornados Form Continued...

The winds in tornadoes can spin from around 40 miles per hour to over 300 miles per hour, causing massive destruction. Tornadoes can be different colors, appearing white when lit by the sun or darker shades like black, brown, gray, or red when filled with dirt and debris. A fully formed tornado, with its swirling funnel and loud noises, can be very scary.

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Fast Moving Tornado

Dark Brown Tornado

Sounds of a Tornado

Tornadoes in the United States and Canada are put into groups based on how strong they are, using something called the Enhanced Fujita Scale since 2007.

On this scale, an EF-0 tornado is the weakest type. It has winds that go from 65 to 85 miles per hour, which is not very fast and causes just a little damage like taking shingles off a roof.

An EF-2 tornado is stronger, with winds from 111 to 135 miles per hour. It can remove whole roofs from houses and pull up big trees.

The most powerful tornado is an EF-5, with winds over 200 miles per hour. This kind of tornado can destroy a strong house, leaving only the base, and it can even lift heavy things like cars and break roads.

Classification of Tornadoes