The booming sound of thunder we hear in these storms is caused by very hot lightning exploding the air. In the same way that magnets attract metal, lightning is attracted to the ground. Lightning is created inside thunderstorms and can become very hot. Just one lightning bolt can be 50,000 Fahrenheit . . . Winds in a tornado rotate violently, spinning at speeds of 100 to 300 miles per hour.
Tornadoes occur all over the world, but most tornadoes strike the United States.
About one-thousand tornadoes hit the United States each year, most of which happens in April, May, and June. A hurricane is a giant, powerful storm with very high winds. It forms over warm ocean water, and often causes damage when it moves over the land. Weak hurricanes have wind speeds of at least 74 miles per hour, while very strong hurricanes can produce winds greater than 180 miles per hour. Although it's winds can be very damaging, the most dangerous part of a hurricane is it' s storm surge, the wall of water that is blown from the ocean and batters the land.