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Hurricanes are tracked by satellite and predicted several days in advance, while the average tornado warning only provides people in the storm's path 13 minutes to reach shelter.

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A tornado is a very small area of low pressure surrounded by powerful, rotating winds of up to 300 miles per hour. Its strength is measured by the Enhanced Fujita Scale, ranging from EF-0 to EF-5.

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Many people used to believe that tornadoes were random, unpredictable events. Others believed that there must be some way to predict them in advance.

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After a tornado struck an Air Force Base in 1948, two officers studied the weather conditions. Then, five days later, they were able to issue the first accurate tornado warning.

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Before radar, meteorologists could issue tornado watches but couldn't know for sure that a tornado had formed until someone saw it. Radar, however, made it possible to see signs of a tornado on a weather map and issue warnings for people to take over.

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"Tornado Alley" is a large tornado-prone area in the central United States, including parts of Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, Iowa, Missouri, and Arkansas.

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Because it is not an official term, "tornado Alley" does not have specific boundaries. This explains why many maps show it including different areas of many states.

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To protect people from the area's frequent tornadoes, cities and towns in Tornado Alley enforce strict building codes. Many homes also have storm cellars and basements.

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Since water covers about 70% of the earth, it should come as no surprise that tornadoes can form over water. These are called tornadic waterspouts.

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Other waterspouts form when cool air moves over warm water; the air heats up rapidly and starts to rise. Then, nearby air is sucked into the small area of low pressure. Eventually, the rising air begins to rotate at high speeds, and it finally becomes a fair-weathered waterspout.

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