Tornadoes

Intro

The Midwest has some crazy weather and tornadoes are perhaps the craziest of them all. I’m here to tell you about the psychoticness of tornadoes, how they’re formed and a bunch of other things.

Why are there so many tornadoes in the Midwest?

Because of the flat land, it's easy for tornadoes to form in the Midwest Region. Kansas is flatter than the rest of the Midwest, which gives them more tornadoes than the rest of the world! But why do people live in Kansas and the Midwest?

Whatever the tornado rate, people love beautiful Kansas and houses tend to have tornado shelters. And whenever someone needs help, the hardworking people of the Midwest give them the friendship and kindness they need.

How are tornadoes formed?

I asked myself that question many times until I found out. The answer is mainly from thunderstorms, which explains why there are so many in the Midwest Region (they get a lot of thunderstorms. ) You need warm moist air and cool dry air so when they meet, it causes some instability in the sky. A change in the direction of the wind and rising air cause it to become a massive cloud of spinning power.

Different Types of Tornadoes

Dust Devils are whirlwinds* made of dust. They are actually not as common to the Midwest as to the Southwest. They are usually harmless but they can do minor to moderate damage to people, animals, objects and homes.

A Fire Tornado is an extremely rare tornado that is very dangerous. Technically, it is not an actual tornado, but it is called that because they look like a tornado, although they are not actually one. Fire tornadoes are formed by wind.

A Waterspout is a tornado over water that is made of damp clouds. They could form in the Midwest ( because of the Great Lakes ) but they mainly form over the ocean. A nickname for them is vortex.

*A whirlwind is like a weak tornado.

What are some famous tornadoes?

Rushing through Missouri, Illinois and Indiana at more than 300 miles per hour, the Tri State tornado killed 695 people and hurt about 2,027. The awful St. Louis Tornado struck Missouri and Illinois with winds of more than 255 miles per hour, killing 207 people. The tornado that hit Joplin, Missouri on May 27, 2011 killed 158 people and injured more than 1,000. The Flint tornado in Flint, Michigan killed 115 people, the deadliest tornado ever to strike Michigan. The largest Tornado outbreak ever was the 2011 Super Outbreak.