Tornadoes

What is a tornado?

Tornadoes are violently rotating columns of air that extend from a thunderstorm to the ground. Tornadoes can destroy buildings, flip cars and create deadly wind-driven debris.

Why are tornadoes formed?

A tornado is formed when a series of meteorological conditions are met that present the presence, in a small area, of layers of air with different temperatures and humidity records. These storms form 1 to 2 kilometers above the earth's surface, in hot, humid weather and unstable conditions.

Find out what the differences are between a tornado and a hurricane. The hurricane always forms in the oceans and needs the surface temperature to be above 27ºC. Instead, the tornado usually originates on land, although occasionally and quite unusual, it can also do so in oceans or seas.

Tornadoes can occur at any time of the year. About 1,200 tornadoes are reported in the United States each year, more than in any country in the world. In fact, Oklahoma, Nebraska or Kansas is known as the tornado corridor, due to the amount of destructive winds that arise each year in these places.

Find out which is the most extreme tornado on record. It was the Tri-State Tornado (Tri-State Tornado), which tore through parts of Missouri, Illinois and Indiana on March 18, 1925. It would have possibly been classified as an F5 tornado, although tornadoes were not classified at the time. It holds the records for having traveled the longest distance (352 km), the longest duration (about 3.5 hours), and the fastest forward travel speed for a major tornado (117 km/h) worldwide. In addition, it is the deadliest tornado in the history of the United States (695 dead).