Tornadoes in the United States: what are the most common areas of formation?

The United States is one of the countries most affected by tornadoes in the world, it is estimated that in one year the North American nation suffers up to 1,200 natural phenomena of this type, Here we explain some of the reasons.

(It may be of interest to you: Hurricane, tornado and typhoon: what are their differences?).

According to US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Storm Prediction Centeron average more than a thousand tornadoes are reported throughout the territory during the calendar year.

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According to the authorities’ report, all the states of the nation have at least one tornado a year in the spring and summer seasons is when there is a greater occurrence of tornadoes in the United States.

Why do tornadoes occur?

A tornado is a column of wind that turns sharply from a surface to a cloud of great vertical development. The vast majority of times you see a funnel effect that rotates while destroying everything that is on the ground.

This natural phenomenon can reach a height up to 2 kilometers long, from the ground to the clouds known as cumulonimbus, which They can reach between 50 and 60 feet in height.

(We recommend reading: Why is the US the country with the highest risk of suffering tornadoes?).

According to the information of the Science Museum of Puerto Rico, A tornado occurs “generally in the transition zone between the polar (cold and dry) and tropical (warm and humid) air masses, between 20º and 50º latitude, on both sides of the equator, being rare in higher latitudes of 60º, where the air does not contain the humidity and the temperature necessary for the formation of this phenomenon”.

The United States is located in one of the mid-latitudes where this contrast tends to be sharpened. Additionally, the vast majority of tornadoes form in a region called ‘Tornado Alley’, according to the Science Museum; states like Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Nebraska They are part of this region where the most tornadoes occur in the world.

In Texas, about 140 tornadoes a yearAlabama has an average of 42. However, Oklahoma City is the city where these natural phenomena are reported the most in the calendar year.

(Read here: Shocking images of the tornado that hit Arkansas, United States).

Brandon Miller, meteorologist CNN explained that: “Tornadoes in the Southeast tend to be more dangerous than those in the Great Plains (…) There are several reasons for this, some meteorological and other geographic. Southeastern tornadoes tend to travel faster, moved by a jet stream faster”.

HAROLD YEPES
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