Paul Harvey described with awe in his voice the tale of a tornado in North Carolina that plucked a bathtub and the woman in the tub taking a bath, and placing her down several miles away, safe and still in her tub. One man had the buttons pulled off his shirt and lost both shoes and one sock. The only thing predictable about tornadoes is that they are unpredictable. Sometimes only one is spawned from a thunderstorm while other thunderstorms spawn several tornadoes. This was the case last summer in Oklahoma when more than two dozen twisters ravaged the Sooner state.
Twisters also vary greatly in length, width, direction of travel, and speed.
Their path of destruction can range from just a few yards to more than a mile wide. Tornadoes generally do not linger on the ground for more than a few minutes but some have stayed on the ground for hours, covering great distances and hundreds of miles. Scientists continue to study these unpredictable storms but there is much to be learned like why do some thunderstorms spawn twisters while others don't. Hail, lightning, and tornadoes are proven killers.