7. 7
Where doWhere do most tornadoes hit in the United States?tornadoes hit in the United States?
In the United States, the area where the tornadoes
hit the most is called Tornado AlleyTornado Alley. The
states which are in the tornado alley are:
Texas
Nebraska
Colorado
Iowa
Illinois
Indiana
Missouri
Arkansas
Danger!Danger! Tornadoes!
8. 8
Tornado Watch: A tornado watch is issued when conditions
or the weather is right for a tornado to occur
Tornado Warning: A tornado warning is issued when a tornado
has been seen
9. 9
Where is the safest place to go
during a tornado?
B a s e m e n t D itc h S h o w e r In n e r H a llw a y C e n te r o f R o o m
S a fe s t P la c e s
D u r in g a T o r n a d o
10. 10
Number of Tornadoes in
Specific Years
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
160
180
1979 1985 1992 2004
Tornadoes
11. 11
1. Name at least one tornado nickname.
2. Name one thing needed for a tornado to occur.
3. What is the name of the scale that measures tornadoes?
4. Which state is not in tornado alley: Texas, California,
Nebraska, or Kansas?
5. What is it called when conditions are right for
a tornado to occur?
6. Where is the safest place to go during a tornado?
Notes de l'éditeur
We will be reading the book Night of the Twisters. The book is about tornadoes
You may have heard of some of the nicknames people use for tornadoes. Some very common nicknames are twisters, funnel clouds, or even waterspout. Can you think what do all of these things have in common?
That brings us to what a tornado is. A tornado is a violently rotating column of air extending from a thunderstorm to the ground. That column of air is what gives the tornado its nicknames.
There are some things that are necessary in order for a tornado to form.
A change in wind direction is necessary in order to have a tornado.
As you probably realize, a tornado needs a high degree of wind speed.
Tornadoes need increasing height. They do not just stay at a base level.
Lastly, when you have a thunderstorm, air begins to rise which helps form a tornado.
Every tornado can be different. Due to this fact, Dr. T. Theodore Fujita came up with a scale which measures the strength of tornadoes.
Here is the Fujita Scale. It has the category of the tornado ranging from F0 to F5. The category of each tornado depends on its wind speed. It has the damage which each type of tornado causes.
Looking at all the tornadoes that occur in the United States, there is a particular region in which the majority of the tornadoes occur. This area is called tornado alley. The states which are in tornado alley are Texas, Nebraska, Colorado, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, and Arkansas.
Do you know the difference between a tornado watch and a tornado warning?
A tornado watch is when the conditions in the atmosphere are right for a tornado to occur.
A tornado warning is when the actual funnel for the tornado has been sited. If this occurs, you should seek shelter immediately. Do you know where you should go when a tornado is occurring?
You might ask yourself where the safest place to be during a tornado is. Well, depending where you are and what resources you have, tells you what your safest place is. If you have a basement, that is the safest place to be. If not, a shower, the center of the room, or an inner hallway. If you are outside, the best place to find is the lowest area like a ditch.
Tornadoes have been increasing throughout the years…gradually, but they have increased. Take a look at the number of tornadoes in 2004 compared to the number of tornadoes in 1979.