Learn1 of 3
How Do Tornadoes Form?
A tornado is a violently spinning column of air that reaches from a thunderstorm cloud down to the ground. Tornadoes are the most violent storms on Earth!
They form when warm, moist air from the Gulf of Mexico meets cold, dry air from Canada. These air masses collide and create powerful thunderstorms. Inside the storm, winds at different heights blow in different directions, creating a spinning horizontal tube of air.
Strong updrafts (winds blowing upward) tilt this tube vertical, creating a funnel. When the spinning funnel touches the ground — it becomes a TORNADO!
Tornadoes are most common in 'Tornado Alley' — a stretch of flat land from Texas up through Oklahoma, Kansas, and Nebraska. About 1,200 tornadoes hit the United States every year!