The information and links in this page are maintained by Area Agricultural Agents. They can produce winds in excess of 250 miles per hour.
Tornadoes can be on the ground a short time or for several miles.
The Tri-State tornado that ripped through Missouri, Illinois and Indiana in 1925, was on the ground for 210 miles and killed more than 600 people. The National Weather Service estimates that an average of 800 tornadoes across the country are reported per year, resulting in more than 1,500 injuries and 80 fatalities. We are approaching the time of year when they are most common in the high plains region. As thunderstorms develop, wind direction changes and the wind speed increases. A thunderstorm updraft, rising air within the storm, pull the winds upward into the area of rotation.