Tornadoes and tornado deaths, sorted by
Fujita class.
Click on image for full size
Courtesy of University of Chicago
Tornado Stats
Most of the world's tornadoes occur in the United States. The area where
most of them develop is called
Tornado Alley. About 750
tornadoes strike the U.S. each year and about 100 people are killed by
these storms. Most only last a few minutes and travel only a few miles,
but some can last much longer and travel over 100 miles.
Some really severe
thunderstorms can spawn more than
one tornado. These are know as tornado families. They can form one
after another or they can form in a line. Some really strong tornadoes
even break into smaller ones.
Tornadoes are divided into groups according to how strong their winds
are. Violent
tornadoes don't happen very often, but they cause the most destruction
and loss of life. Meteorologists have new equipment and new knowledge that
allows them to
forecast tornadoes
earlier. With an earlier forecast, they can issue
warnings and tell
the public to take shelter. This had helped lower the death toll due to
tornadoes. But, scientists don't know how to stop tornadoes so they
can't easily reduce the damage caused my them.
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