Overview: Tornadoes are quick, twisting funnels of air. They form inside big thunderstorms called supercells.
- Ingredients you need:
- Warm, moist air near the ground (often from the Gulf of Mexico).
- Cold, dry air higher up (often from the west or north).
- Wind shear—a change in wind speed and direction with height.
- How a tornado starts inside a storm:
- In a thunderstorm, updrafts push air upward.
- With wind shear, the rotating air can start to spin as it rises, forming a mesocyclone (a big rotating column inside the storm).
- Sometimes this rotation tightens into a funnel cloud.
- Forming a tornado:
- If the rotating air tilts and stretches toward the ground, a narrow column of spinning air touches the ground—that's a tornado.
- The tornado uses energy from the warm air near the ground to grow and move with the storm.
- What you might see and hear:
- A dark, twisting funnel reaching from cloud base toward the ground.
- A loud roaring sound, like a train or a jet, and debris swirling on the ground.
- Safety note:
- If you are in an area with storms, listen to warnings and go to a sturdy shelter.