FUN FACTS!

20 FACTS ABOUT TORNADOES

1. A tornado is as a rotating, funnel-shaped cloud that extends from a thunderstorm to the ground with whirling winds that can reach 300 mph.[1]
2. Damage paths of tornadoes can be in excess of one mile wide and 50 miles long.[2]
3. Tornadoes can accompany tropical storms and hurricanes once on land. Its super important to be prepared for a tornado, so make sure you have a disaster plan for your pets too! Sign up for Save Our Pets.[3]
4. Rotating thunderstorms are the best predictors of tornado activity.They are well defined thunderstorms on radar that may include hail, severe winds, lightning, or flash floods.[4]
5. Tornadoes can occur when a warm front meets a cold front, forming a thunderstorm, which then can spawn 1 or more “twisters."[5]
6. Most twisters or cyclones travel from southwest to northeast and can move in the opposite direction for short periods of time. A tornado can even backtrack if it is hit by winds from the eye of the thunderstorm.[6]
7. Funnel clouds usually last less than 10 minutes before dissipating, and many only last several seconds. On rare occasion, cyclones can last for over an hour.[7]
8. A tornado may appear nearly transparent until dust and debris are picked up or a cloud forms within the funnel.[8]
9. Twisters strike predominantly along Tornado Alley — a flat stretch of land from western Texas to North Dakota. This region is a hotspot for tornadoes because the dry polar air from Canada meets the warm moist tropical air from the Gulf of Mexico.[9]
10. Tornadoes are most likely to occur between 3 pm and 9 pm, but can occur at any time.[10]
11. In the southern states, peak tornado occurrence is March through May, while peak months in the northernmost states are late June through August.[11]
12. Tornadoes are one of the most powerful types of weather that can occur. What are tornadoes? Where do tornadoes hit? Why do tornadoes happen? Do you have as many questions about tornadoes as we do? Well, join us as we learn all about tornadoes.
13. Thunderstorms alone do not cause tornadoes.  However, when there is a change of wind direction, wind speed and temperature during a big thunderstorm, it is possible that a tornado can be formed.
14. Tornadoes are made up of really fast spinning tubes of air that form a funnel.  They touch the clouds up in the sky and the ground down below.  Sometimes they spin so fast that buildings, trees and other objects can be broke apart and thrown around. Oh my!
15. The Fujita scale measures the strength of tornadoes, ranging from F0 to F5.  F0 tornadoes are considered weak and cause a little bit of damage, if any.  F5 tornadoes are said to be violent and can cause a lot of destruction.
16. Some tornadoes can have wind speeds around 65 miles per hour.  That is fast!  However, really strong tornado winds can reach speeds up to 300 miles per hour.  Wow!
17. Tornado Alley is an area in the central United States where tornadoes are the most common.  From Texas all the way up to South Dakota, and from Missouri over to the Rocky Mountains, tornadoes are most likely to occur, but tornadoes can actually happen anywhere in the world.
18. When a tornado is above water, such as the ocean or another body of water, it is called a waterspout.  A tornado waterspout can be formed over water or move from land to water.
19. Tornadoes aren’t just called tornadoes.  They can also be known as twisters, cyclones, and funnels.
20. Basements, cellars, and other underground places are the safest places to ride out a tornado.  If you can’t get to an underground shelter, head to a room that has no windows on the bottom or first floor of your house or building.  Take shelter in a bathroom or closet, and if you can, cover yourself with a blanket, sleeping bag, or mattress.