Picture of a May 11, 1991, tornado in Cimarron County, Oklahoma
Click on image for full size
Greg Stumpf
Tornadoes
Tornadoes
form from
severe
thunderstorms.
They are very destructive because they have a high
energy density. They
also don't last very long. This makes it hard to learn about them. Since
scientists don't know much about tornadoes, it's also hard to
forecast them. And
because little is known about tornadoes, there are many
myths about them which
aren't true.
Tornadoes can form anywhere in the world. About 75% of the them happen
in the United States. Most of these form in the central U. S. in a place
called
tornado alley.
There are also some other interesting
facts about tornadoes.
People who are interested in tornadoes sometimes become trained tornado spotters for their
community. Others chase tornadoes, either to research these incredible storms, or to photograph them. After
a tornado passes by, scientists try and figure out how strong it was by
using the
Enhanced Fujita Tornado
Scale.
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