Storm Chasers

Storm Chasers

CHASING THE WIND What kind of person chases a storm? Most people run for cover when the weather turns nasty. But for storm chasers, high winds, funnel clouds, and lightning are part of the job. Some storm chasers are filmmakers and photographers trying to capture spectacular images of a tornado. But most storm chasers are scientists and meteorologists who study the weather. They put themselves in the paths of tornadoes to collect information that will help them better predict tornadoes and save lives. Their job is dangerous and may seem thrilling, but being out in severe weather makes storm chasers extra careful.

Every year, hundreds of tornadoes rip through the central part of the United States. They can flip over cars, tear roofs off houses, and destroy crops. Most tornado winds blow about 160 kilometers per hour (100miles per hour). The strongest tornadoes, sometimes called super tornadoes, have wind speeds of 402 kph to more than 482 kph (250-300 mph). A super tornado destroys everything in its path. Less than two percent of all tornadoes have winds of more than 322 kph (200 mph).

TORNADO ALLEY More than 800 tornadoes a year touch down in the United States, and more than half of Earth's tornadoes hit the central section of the United States called “ Tornado Alley. " Some of the states in Tornado Alley are: Iowa, Nebraska, Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas. Most storm chasing happens in these states--in the spring in the southern states of the Great Plains, and in the late summer in the northern states.

Every state in the United States has experienced a tornado! They just tend to be stronger and more frequent in the central part of the country. Texas has the most recorded tornado touchdowns of any state. On March 8, 1925, one of the worst tornadoes in U. S. history ripped through Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana. The tornado traveled on the ground for 352 kilometers (219 miles) and lasted three and a half hours. More than 600 people died in that tornado, and 10, 000 people lost their homes.

TORNADO WEATHER Meteorologists have studied tornadoes by observing them and collecting data, but they still have much to learn. They know about most of the weather conditions needed to form a tornado. But they still do not know why some funnel clouds touch down, becoming tornadoes, and others do not. The recipe for a tornado includes: warm moist air near the ground cool dry air above the ground a cold air mass colliding with a warm air mass These diagrams explain how a tornado forms.