Tornado Facts For Kids
Amazing Facts About Tornadoes For Kids
I’m so excited to bring you an article that is all about Tornado facts for kids. There are so many amazing facts about tornadoes for kids, I am going to have a blast bringing you all the info!
One of the first memories I have of going to the theater when I was a child was the movie Twister with Bill Paxon and Helen Hunt. I’m 30 right now, but that movie was pretty amazing when it first came out. I remember being convinced that I was going to be a storm chaser when I was leaving the theater that day. Since then, I have always been fascinated with natural weather phenomenon especially tornadoes. They are so powerful, and so hard to predict. They can form and be on you without a moments notice and if they catch you off guard the results can be devastating.
Tornado Facts For Kids
Amazing Facts About Tornadoes For Kids
How Do Tornadoes Form?
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Answering how do tornadoes form is a pretty easy task. It’s not nearly as complicating as one might think! A tornado is a result of a supercell thunderstorm. There is a set pattern to how the cold air and warm air react. The warm air rises while the cold air drops. Eventually, the warm air will twist into a circular motion and forms a funnel cloud that we refer to as a tornado.
After the tornado is formed it follows a pretty specific cycle of events. The mesocyclone (air that rotates) and the RFD (rear flank downdraft) begins to move toward the ground. After this, a tiny funnel appears to build up at the bottom of a wall cloud. As the rear flank downdraft get’s to the ground, the dirt in the area rises up causing a lot of damage even to heavy objects. Immediately after the RFD the funnel touches the ground, forming a tornado.
Once the warm air supply is cut off the tornado begins to lose all it power. Once the warm air is taken away the vortex begins to become more weak and the tornado dissipates.
Check out the image below to see how it works!
Tornado Facts For Kids
Amazing Facts About Tornadoes For Kids
♦ The United States has the most powerful Tornadoes.
♦ In most circumstances tornadoes only last for a few minutes.
♦ No two tornadoes are a like. Every tornado has a distinguishable shape and size.
♦ The highest classification of a tornado is an F5. These are actually very rare and only occur less than 0.1% of the time.
♦ There have been reports of tornadoes in every state of the United States, and they have been reported in every season.
♦ Most Tornadoes have wind speeds of less than 100 MPH. (161 KPH).
♦ One of the most famous tornadoes was the Tri-State Tornado from 1925. It traveled through parts of Indiana, Illinois and Missouri leave a 219 mile path of destruction.
♦ There are around 1200 Tornadoes in the U.S. every year. This is actually more than any other country.
♦ Kansas, Florida, Texas and Kansas are the states that are the most frequently hit by tornadoes.
♦ In 1989 there was a tornado in Bangladesh that caused over 1300 fatalities. That was the deadliest tornado ever recorded.
♦ Tornadoes found in the Northern Hemisphere typically rotate counterclockwise, if found is the southern hemisphere, they rotate clockwise.
♦ Sometimes Tornadoes form over water. These are actually not called tornadoes, they are called watersprouts.
♦ The safest place to be during a Tornado is away from windows in a basement or bunker. The less windows the better.
♦ Tornadoes are actually transparent. The colors you see is the dirt and debris that is picked up by the tornadoes high winds.
♦ Tornadoes peak seasons in the southern states is March through May and in the northern states it’s June through August.
♦ Some extreme Tornadoes can have winds as high as 300 MPH.
Tornado Facts For Kids
Amazing Facts About Tornadoes For Kids
Here is some pretty awesome Tornado stuff!
Tornado Safety Facts For Kids
Tornado Facts For Kids
Let’s start off with some signs that a Tornado might be forming.
- Dark, sometimes greenish sky.
- Large Hail
- A large, dark low lying cloud. Maybe rotating.
- Loud roar, like a freight train.
If you see these things happening, odds are there could be a tornado coming at you soon. Let’s talk about what you should do if you know a tornado is coming.
If you are in an area that has a basement you should get there. Try to avoid any windows if possible.
If there is an object that is sturdy, like a table, get under it to protect yourself. If available cover yourself with a mattress or sleeping bag.
If in a basement, be aware of where heavy objects from the top floor are. You want to avoid these spots in case they for some reason break through the floor.
If you don’t have a basement, get to your lowest floor. You will want to try and find an area with a strong object you can hide under. It’s still a good idea to cover yourself with a mattress or sleeping bag. Find a bathtub if possible, they can help protect you and bathrooms typically have less windows.
If you get caught in the open outdoors, do your best to find shelter. If none are available get as low to the ground as you can. Find the lowest close area you can get to and lie face down. Cover your head with your hands while on the ground.
These are just a few tips. There are many other scenarios and things you can do to protect yourself. Click the link below to see more!
http://www.spc.noaa.gov/faq/tornado/safety.html
Interesting Facts About Tornadoes
Tornado Facts For Kids Video
Watch this amazing video of a tornado forming. This the massive moore EF5 tornado.
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Tornado Facts For Kids Video
Amazing Tornado Facts For Kids Conclusion
Thank you so much for stopping by and checking out some tornado facts for kids. The more we all know about these amazing natural phenomenon the safer we can be. It’s important to know and understand them, so that we can be safe and respect them when they happen. Hopefully, you will take the time to check out some more of our great facts for kids articles! You may be interested in another amazing article, Lightning Facts For Kids. Check it out!
Tornado Facts For Kids
