15 Amazing Facts About Tornado For Kids

A tornado is a violent wind storm made of a tall column of air that spins around very fast and causes a lot of damage to everything in its path.

A tornado is a tube of spinning air that touches the Earth and the Sky at the same time. A violent rotating storm with a mixture of thunderstorm clouds and strong winds, the warm air trapped under cold air that forms water vapor, takes the shape of a funnel and blows away everything that comes in its path. A tornado can create havoc and blow away the roof of homes, uproot trees, lift off the cars and throw them miles away and destroy cities in a short span of time.

Take the weather man’s words seriously and protect yourself from the storm by taking shelter in the basement or move to safer locations as soon as you hear about Tornado Watch or a Tornado Warning.

Interesting Facts And Information About Tornado For Children

“A few minutes ago, every tree was excited, bowing to the roaring storm, waving, swirling, tossing their branches in glorious enthusiasm like worship. But though to the outer ear these trees are now silent, their songs never cease.” – John Muir

Life is not always about sunny days. Some days you have to deal with imperfect situations or chaotic and turbulent incidents. Everything that you created over the years will be gone in a few minutes when nature’s most powerful force comes to play.

Here’ some interesting facts and tornado information for kids to learn more about the most powerful force of nature.

1. Tornadoes rotate in a clockwise direction in the southern hemisphere and anti-clockwise direction in the northern hemisphere of the Earth.
2. Tornadoes are measured on the scale of Fujita of the F scale developed by Dr. Fujita.
3. On a Fujita scale of 0 to 5, with F0 being tornadoes with speed less than 75 miles breaks the branches of a tree while F1 can knock down the tree. F2 would uproot the tree while F3 will pull it off the grounds with full force. F4 will destroy everything in its path while F5 with speed over 260 miles per hour has the strength to tear down the concrete building like a paper home.
4. A slow tornado has a speed between 45 to 100 miles an hour while a faster ‘twister’ can go up to 300 miles an hour.
5. The United States experiences more tornadoes than any other place on Earth. Each year, there are about 1200 – 1500 F1 or F2 level tornadoes hitting the US. Besides that, tornadoes occur in Argentina, South Africa, Brazil, Uruguay, New Zealand, Australia, Asia and across Europe.
6. The ‘Tornado Alley’ area consists of parts of North and South Dakota, Iowa, Missouri, Nebraska, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Illinois, Ohio, Indiana, Louisiana, Kentucky, and Tennessee. This area sees a maximum number of tornadoes in the US.
7. Basements are the safest place to take refuge during the tornado. Stay away from windows and upper floors.
8. A tornado can occur any time of the year, however, they are mostly seen in summer and stormy springs when the weather gets unstable with warm and cold air bumping together.
9. In 1925, the Tri-state Tornado destroyed over 219 miles area of Indiana, Illinois, and Missouri. About 695 people lost their lives.
10. A ‘Waterspout’ is a tornado that occurs over the water. It is powerful enough to turn a large boat upside down.
11. A tornado comes in different shapes and sizes. From rope-like swirls to funnel-shaped clouds around a central point connecting from ground to the sky.
12. In 1989, Bangladesh saw the worst ever violent and destructive tornado that killed over 1300 people and destroyed about 20 villages around Dhaka.
13. The tornadoes can last from about ten minutes to several hours. During this period, it can travel from 5 kilometers to 150 kilometers before exhausting and wearing out.
14. Most tornadoes are not easily visible. It is the dust and debris combined with condensed water, high wind and rapid rotation that forms spinning funnel making it noticeable.
15. Weather radars are used to detect tornadoes and give advanced warning.

These tornado fun facts for kids will get them interested in nature and natural phenomena. The tornado formation is a complex phenomenon. The unpredictability makes it difficult and dangerous to study the twisters. The secrets of this incredible force of mother nature are yet to be discovered.

Also Read:

Global Warming and Climate Change Facts for Children
Cloud Facts and Information for Children
Water Cycle Facts for Children