Tornado picture taken on February 11th, 1999. Location unknown. Found in National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administrations Laboratories.

What are Tornadoes?

A tornado is a rotating column of air usually accompanied by a funnel shaped downward extension of a cumulonimbus cloud and having a vortex several hundred yards in diameter whirling destructively at speeds up to 300 miles per hour.                                           

How do Tornadoes form?

Tornadoes form sort of like this....A thunderstorm forms, and it has conditions that are very violent. They start to develop near low-pressure areas of the high winds. The warmer air moves upward and the cooler air downward. When these two masses of air bump into each other, the main thunderstorm is formed. Fast moving, cold, dry air meet moister, warmer air. Usually, cold air moves underneath warmer air. In this case, though, air mass over-runs the warmer air. The warmer air then rushes upward at fast speeds. Air also blows in from the sides. This creates strong, twisting updrafts. This care of low-pressure becomes a tornado.

Safety Tips!

1. Get indoors as fast as you can. Go to the nearest building.

2. If you can't get indoors, lie flat in a ditch, and cover your head with your arms.

3. Once inside a building, go to the basement, bathroom, or closet. Get under something heavy, and stay away from windows. Stay away from toasters, pipes, T.V. sets, etc. The lightning in the tornado kills more people than the tornado itself. The lightning gets in your home along pipes or wires.

4. If you are in a car or mobile home, get out and go to the nearest building.

5. In school and public buildings, move to the shelter or lowest level.

6. RUN, DON'T WALK. A few seconds can mean the difference between life and death.

7. 

         Where are Tornadoes found?

Tornadoes are found anywhere in the United States of America. They are found especially in Tornado Alley, which is located in the middle of the country. The states in the middle of the country have the weather that can create tornadoes frequently. That is why they call it Tornado Alley.