Tornado alley why do tornadoes form

And is there any way weather forecasters could give people right in their path a little more warning? Certain conditions make tornadoes more likely. So, in that way, they are somewhat predictable. But no one ever knows when, where, how intense, and how many tornadoes a thunderstorm will create. Conditions are ripe for tornadoes when the air becomes very unstable, with winds at different altitudes blowing in different directions or at different speeds—a condition called wind shear.

The first result is a large thunderstorm. Inside the huge thundercloud, warm and humid air is rising, while cool air is falling, along with rain or hail. All these conditions can result in rolling, spinning air currents inside the cloud. Although this spinning column of air starts out horizontal, it can easily go vertical and drop down out of the cloud. When it touches the ground, it's a tornado. The winds inside the spinning column of some tornadoes are the fastest of any on Earth.

And over a region several times the size of Bangladesh. That said, tornadoes in the US are probably not as common as you may think. Markowski: Most people greatly overestimate how often tornadoes occur in Tornado Alley. I mean if you watch the movie Twister, it's easy to think that every day at 4 o'clock they sound the alarm and you just go underground, but really most people that live in Oklahoma have never seen a tornado before. Narrator: That's because even in Oklahoma, the tornado capital of the world, tornadoes only strike the same spot once every 1,, years, on average.

But if you are unlucky enough to spot one, be sure to keep your distance. Tornado winds can reach a whopping kilometers per hour!

World globe An icon of the world globe, indicating different international options. Get the Insider App. Click here to learn more. That's awesome, Justin! We mean about reading Wonderopolis, not the tornado warning.

Makayla Apr 30, Madison Apr 22, Apr 22, Elijah Mar 26, I found out that Dust Devils are tornadoes, just very small, and not all that damaging. Interesting, right? Mar 26, That's awesome, Elijah! We love it when our Wonder Friends keep Wondering! Cool Comics Mar 20, I love that you have such detailed wonders! I do hope to see more Tornado wonders in the future! Mar 21, Elijah Mar 20, I was wondering if Dust Devils were actually tornadoes.

Are they? Cool Comix Ind. Mar 19, Could you add more wonders over the next few days about tornadoes. We are doing an assignment and I would like some help with questions like, Are Dust Devils tornadoes, and others?

Mar 22, Mar 1, There are a lot of tornadoes in Iowa! Anthony Feb 4, Feb 5, Kitty May 10, I cant believe how tornadoes form. May 14, It is very interesting! Mar 8, Hi, unicorns! What was your favorite part about this Wonder? May 22, They can happen all over, Soze. Have you ever seen one before? May 5, Robbie Rotten Feb 27, Feb 27, At what, Robbie? If so, that's amazing news! Agustin Oct 21, No way, I didn't know anything about this I very much liked it. Jan 18, Dec 7, Oct 23, We're so glad you enjoyed this Wonder, Agustin!

Oct 16, Hey there, stephen! Aug 29, We're glad you learned some things with us about tornadoes, billy! Billy Bob Jo Jo Aug 26, Wow, bryce! That sounds pretty scary. We are glad you are OK! Hi, tyler and christian! Ashley Aug 26, Once I had a tornado watch and we couldn't go upstairs.

Then it suddenly turned into a warning. The tornado that was spotted was a mile away from my house. My mom watched it as it moved closer to our home.

We had to go into our safe place for seven long minutes. It was very scary. Mar 4, May 11, We're glad you liked this Wonder, kyle! I like what it had to say and it gave me a lot of facts and I know a lot more about tornadoes so like that gives a lot of facts and lots of information about how a tornadoes come on our earth give me a thumbs up if you have ever saw a tornadoe or tornadoes in person before and thanks so much for chosing to pick my comment and that is all thank you so much for your time.

Mar 25, Despite endless research, tornado scientists still do not understand tornado genesis exceptionally well. The National Severe Storms Laboratory NSSL located in Norman, Oklahoma states that field observations link tornadoes to storms that demonstrate strong temperature differences along regions of heavy precipitation.

We still have lots of work to do. Tornado research is no doubt a dangerous business. In , the largest documented tornado — 2. His death provided a somber reminder to the danger associated with supercells and tornadoes, even for those who dedicate their lives to understanding them. The extraordinary geographical nuances that encompass tornado alley ostensibly provide storm chasers with their very own thunderstorm playground. Recently, the epicenter of the tornado universe appears to be Moore, Oklahoma.

Despite its small size 22 square miles , 12 tornadoes have marched through town since , including five significant tornadoes since , and two of them EF-5 with winds over mph kph.

With winds over mph kph , the twister flattened the town and killed 42 people.