The weather can be quite amusing! One day, it’s sunny and warm, perfect for wearing sunglasses and flip-flops. But the next day, it might turn cold and rainy. Usually, the weather is manageable with just a bit of sunscreen, an umbrella, or maybe a snow shovel. However, sometimes, the weather can get extreme with big thunderstorms, hurricanes, or snowstorms. One of the most powerful types of extreme weather is a tornado!
A tornado is a fast-spinning column of air that stretches from a thunderstorm cloud in the sky down to the earth’s surface. Because tornadoes twist and turn as they move, they are sometimes called “twisters.” They form inside large thunderstorms when cold, dry air from one direction meets warm, wet air from another direction. Since cold air is heavier, it slides under the warm air and pushes it up quickly. This fast-moving air can create a spinning thunderstorm, which may eventually form a tornado.
Tornadoes are incredibly powerful forces of nature. Their winds are the strongest in the world, even stronger than those in hurricanes. In some tornadoes, winds can reach speeds of almost 500 kilometers per hour, strong enough to lift heavy objects like cars and trucks into the air. They are also very loud, often described as sounding like giant roaring trains. However, tornadoes don’t move as fast as trains. They usually travel across the land at about 50 kilometers per hour, slower than most cars.
Weather can be unpredictable, meaning it’s hard to know what’s going to happen next. This is especially true for tornadoes. These windy storms can speed up, slow down, change direction, or even stand still. They can last anywhere from a few seconds to an hour. While tornadoes can happen all over the world, they are most common in the United States, especially in the central part of the country from the Dakotas down to Texas, during late spring and early summer.
Because tornadoes are so powerful and unpredictable, meteorologists, who are scientists that study weather, spend a lot of time learning about them. They want to understand how and when tornadoes form and hopefully predict when they’ll appear. There are even people called “storm chasers” who follow big storms in the US, hoping to see a tornado form. Although scientists can’t predict exactly when a tornado will happen, they are getting better at identifying which thunderstorms might create one. If they spot a dangerous storm early enough, they can warn people nearby that a tornado might be coming.
One of the most important jobs of a meteorologist is to help people prepare for extreme weather. The more they learn about tornadoes, the better they can help us get ready for them. This knowledge also helps us understand how weather works, even when it’s not extreme.
I hope the weather is nice where you are! If you have any questions about weather, animals, space, or anything else, feel free to leave a comment or email us at [email protected]. Thanks for joining us, and see you next time!
Create Your Own Tornado in a Bottle: Gather two plastic bottles, water, and some glitter or small bits of paper. Fill one bottle with water and add the glitter. Tape the necks of the bottles together securely. Flip the bottles so the water-filled one is on top and swirl it in a circular motion. Watch as a mini tornado forms inside! Discuss with your friends or family how this small tornado is similar to real ones and what makes it different.
Weather Observation Journal: Start a weather journal for a week. Each day, draw a picture of what the weather looks like outside and write a sentence or two about it. Is it sunny, rainy, or windy? At the end of the week, look back at your drawings and see if you can spot any patterns. Talk about how the weather changed and if you noticed any signs of a storm coming.
Role Play as a Meteorologist: Pretend you are a meteorologist on TV. Use a map of your area and some toy figures to represent different weather conditions. Practice giving a weather report to your family, explaining what the weather is like today and what it might be like tomorrow. Try to include a fun fact about tornadoes in your report!
