Tornado Stats

Tornadoes and tornado deaths, sorted by Fujita class Click on image for full size (*18K JPEG) Most of the world's tornadoes happen in the United States. The area where most of them occur is know as Tornado Alley. There are about 750 tornadoes each year in the U.S. and about 100 people each year are killed by tornadoes. Most tornadoes only last a few minutes and travel a few miles, but some have been know to last longer and travel over 100 miles. Tornadoes are divided into groups according to how strong they are. The most violent ones don't happen very often but they cause the most destruction and loss of life. Scientists can give the public earlier warnings because of new technologies that improve forecasts. In most cases people can seek shelter before a tornado strikes. This has led to a decrease in the number of deaths caused by tornadoes. But, since they can't stop them, the tornadoes will still cause a lot of damage.

Last modified May 17, 2007 by Jennifer Bergman.
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