Tornadoes

How do tonadoes form?

1. Wind moving slowly begins to mix with air moving quickly which causes the air to spin.

2. The wind spins faster and faster in a circular motion which causes it to form a long tube called a funnel cloud.

3. The rain and hail in the thunderstorm cause the funnel cloud to touch the ground, creating a tornado. The funnel cloud has to be touching the clouds and the ground to be a tornado.

What effects do tornadoes have on shelters?

- Uproots trees (pulls them out of the ground)

- Pulls roofs off houses

- Destroys farms

- Breaks windows

- Can destroy entire houses

- Spreads rubbish everywhere which ruins natural and built shelters

What is a tornado?

A tornado is a violent, spinning column of air which reaches from a thunderstorm in the sky all the way down to the ground.

Watch a real tornado in action!

How to reduce the damage of a tornado:

- Build strong houses which are strongly attached to the ground

- Plant trees far enough away from homes so that they cannot fall on the roof

- Protect windows with special storm shutters

- Bring outdoor furniture inside so that it doesn't blow away