CONTENTS TWISTERS 4 STORMY BEGINNINGS 6 LIFE OF A TORNADO 8 TORNADOES IN THE UNITED STATES 10 TORNADO SEASON 12 MEASURING TORNADOES 14 DETECTING TWISTERS 18 DEADLY TWISTERS 20 WATERSPOUTS WHIRLWINDS AND DUST DEVILS 22 LOOKING AHEAD 24 TORNADO SMARTS 26 NEXT STEPS 28 GLOSSARY 30 FOR MORE INFORMATION 31 INDEX 32
TWISTERS Tornadoes also called twisters have terrified people throughout throughout history A tornado is a storm in which powerful spinning winds form a column of air that drops from a dark cloud to the ground Tornado winds are the strongest on Earth They can reach speeds of up to 300 miles 500 kilometers per hour Such violent winds can flatten buildings and whip heavy objects like cars into the air However most tornadoes are short-lived and may not cause much damage 4 A tall tornado in the shape of a cone whips the dirt in a farm field
VOCABULARY Predict means to make a guess based on facts and figures about something that might happen Today meteorologists know a lot about tornadoes tornadoes They can predict where and when a twister is likely to form There are many things they do not know however They often cannot cannot say when a tornado will touch the ground or what path it will take Why only some thunderstorms produce produce tornadoes also remains a mystery The more scientists scientists learn about tornadoes the better everyone can prepare prepare for them and can deal with future twisters Meteorologists use various tools to help them see the path tornadoes followed and the debris they produced 5
