Tornadoes for Kids. Tornadoes are very serious storms that nature generates, and they are extremely dangerous because they are created quickly and can be off and running faster than some people can be warned. A tornado is a rotating cloud of activity that has a distinctive funnel shape and they are usually caused by powerful thunderstorms. The force of the wind from a tornado can reach 300 miles per hour, and this is strong enough to drive a toothpick or a piece of paper or aluminium foil into the trunk of a large oak tree.
With a tornado, the damage appears when the tip of the funnel touches the ground or the top of a tree, building, or roof. The wind is so fierce that it can lift an entire apartment building into the air. Tornadoes are quite capricious and they can destroy buildings instantly, or simply lift them up and set them back down again unharmed. Tornadoes can occur anywhere and at any time if the conditions and weather are right. Information. Tornado - Weather Science for Kids! When there's wind coming from more than one direction at the same time, sometimes the air begins to spin around in one place.
This is especially likely when a hot, wet wind coming from the south hits a cold, dry wind coming from the north. Both winds have momentum, and the energy of that momentum has to go somewhere. Sometimes the energy turns into a thunderstorm, and sometimes the energy goes into making air swirl around in circles because it hasn't got anywhere else to go.
As heavy rain falls from the clouds to the ground, it can drag this swirling air spiralling down to the ground. If a tall column of spinning air reaches all the way from the ground to the clouds, we call that a tornado. A tornado wrecked a town in northern France Tornadoes can happen anywhere, but most tornadoes happen in places where there's a lot of open space for winds to blow in, especially in the Great Plains of the United States. Whatever you do, don't go out to see the tornado. Physics Quatr.us home. Video. Fun Tornado Facts for Kids - Interesting Information about Twisters. Weather Wiz Kids weather information for kids. Tornadoes What is a tornado?
A tornado is a violent rotating column of air extending from a thunderstorm to the ground. The most violent tornadoes are capable of tremendous destruction with wind speeds of up to 300 mph. They can destroy large buildings, uproot trees and hurl vehicles hundreds of yards. They can also drive straw into trees. Damage paths can be in excess of one mile wide to 50 miles long. How do tornadoes form? What are some other factors for tornadoes to form? What is a funnel cloud? How do tornadoes stop? What is a microburst? What is a waterspout? Other phanomena.