Read more about Tornadoes at NOAA's Storm Prediction Center . The best protection during a tornado is in an interior room on the lowest level of a building, preferably a safe room. Tornadoes strike with incredible velocity. Wind speeds may approach 300 miles per hour. These winds can uproot trees and structures and turn harmless objects into deadly missiles, all in a matter of seconds.
Mobile homes are particularly vulnerable to tornadoes.
Injury or deaths related to tornadoes most often occur when buildings collapse, people are hit by flying objects or are caught trying to escape the tornado in a car. Tornadoes are most destructive when they touch ground. The states of Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Dakota, and Texas are at greatest risk. A tornado is a violent windstorm characterized by a twisting, funnel-shaped cloud. The damage from a tornado is a result of the high wind velocity and wind-blown debris.