Tornadoes can almost happen anywhere and are a very common occurrence which is why having facts about tornadoes for kids can be extremely helpful in knowing what a tornado is and how they form
What is a Tornado?
Tornadoes are violent rotating columns of air that extend from the thunderstorm clouds to the ground. Tornadoes can cause serious damage when they connect with the ground as they have destructive winds that can spin up to 300 miles per hour. Usually tornadoes are formed because of thunderstorms. There are a few factors that you need for a tornado to form:
- Warm moist air from the Gulf of Mexico
- Cool dry air from Canada
- Low level moisture
- A Trigger (like a cold front or a low level of converging winds)
- Atmospheric instability (likely caused by the air lifting quickly)
When these air masses meet they cause the atmosphere to become unstable and this can cause thunderstorms and also a change in wind direction. This wind directional change causes wind speeds to increase and this starts a spinning effect. As the air rises it forms an area of rotation that can be anywhere from 2 to 6 miles wide. This area of rotation runs throughout the storm and it is this initial rotation that can cause strong violent tornadoes.
Tornadoes for Kids
There are plenty of facts about tornadoes that can help you understand them a little bit better:
- Tornadoes are also called twisters
- The strength of a tornado is measured on the Fujita Scale. This scale ranges from F0-F5. F5 tornadoes are the strongest and usually cause the most damage and sometimes fatalities.
- Although tornadoes can reach speeds of up to 300 miles per hour most tornadoes do not even reach 100 miles per hour.
- Tornadoes commonly do not last very long before they run out of energy and dissipate.
- There are tornadoes that can last and travel longer when they are extreme tornadoes.
- There are some states that are impacted by tornadoes more than others and are located in “tornado alley”. These states include Texas, Kansas, Oklahoma, Florida, and Nebraska.
- Tornadoes that occur over water and called water spouts.
- Tornadoes can be produced by other weather events like hurricanes.
Tornadoes can be extremely scary and dangerous but the more you know about them the better prepared you can be. When a tornado happens you can do several things to try to stay safe, like finding a sturdy shelter like a basement that is away from windows and doors.