Areas with the greatest incidence of tornadoes
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A section of the Great Plains in the central part of the United States is
called "Tornado Alley". This is because more tornadoes form here than any
other part of the country. The plains are flat which allows cold polar
air from Canada to meet warm tropical air from the Gulf of Mexico.
Storm chasers go
Tornado Alley looking for tornadoes because there are so many
that form there.
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Where else in the world do tornadoes frequently occur?
What is "Tornado Alley"?
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Areas with the greatest incidence of tornadoes
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The land in the central United States is the best breeding ground for the
storms which produce tornadoes. The land in the Great Plains is
relatively flat, which allows cold dry polar air from Canada to meet
warm moist tropical air from the Gulf of Mexico. It's along the front
between the two airmasses that most tornadoes form.
Most tornadoes in the United States form in an area called "Tornado
Alley". This area includes parts of Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, and
Nebraska. Storm
chasers travel to this area because of the high concentration of
tornadoes. These tornadoes are formed by thunderstorms. Some of
the tornadoes in the southern states such as Florida, South Carolina, and
Georgia are caused by hurricanes.
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Where else in the world do tornadoes frequently occur?
What is "Tornado Alley"?
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Areas with the greatest incidence of tornadoes
Click on image for full size (19K JPEG)
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The land which stretches from Texas to Manitoba is relatively flat, most
of which is part of the Great Plains in the United States. The flat land
is a good breeding ground for the storms which produce tornadoes.
Cold dry polar air from Canada can move to the south without any
obstacles, as can warm moist tropical air from the Gulf of Mexico move to
the north.
Most tornadoes in the United States form in an area called "Tornado
Alley". This area includes parts of Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Nebraska.
Storm chasers
frequent this area because it has the highest frequency of tornadoes. These
tornadoes are formed by thunderstorms. Some tornadoes in
southern states such as Florida, South Carolina, and Georgia are formed by
hurricanes.
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Where else in the world do tornadoes frequently occur?
Last modified prior to September, 2000 by the Windows Team
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