Tornadoes, storms, and severe weather.
Test your knowledge with these top questions!
Which U.S. region sees the most waterspouts each year?
Warm shallow seas around the Florida Keys supply humid rising air that makes waterspouts frequent there.
Which state averages the most tornadoes per year in Tornado Alley?
Texas is large and spans prime storm territory, so it typically leads the nation in yearly tornado counts.
Waterspouts are spinning air columns that form over what surface?
Most waterspouts weaken fast after drifting onto land because they lose warm water as an energy source.
Which US state sits at the heart of Tornado Alley?
Oklahoma sits near the center of the classic Alley, with Texas, Kansas, and Nebraska around it.
What sharp boundary separates moist Gulf air from dry western air over Tornado Alley?
The dryline often runs through Texas and Oklahoma in spring, and thunderstorms erupt along its eastern moist side.
Visible funnels of waterspouts consist mostly of what material?
Spray churns at the base, but the funnel itself is cloud droplets formed as pressure drops inside the vortex.
Compared with typical land tornadoes, most fair-weather waterspouts have what strength?
Fair-weather waterspouts often stay below tornado force and last only a few minutes before fading away.
Which warm water body feeds moist air into Tornado Alley storms?
Warm moist Gulf air flows north into the Plains, where it meets colder drier air to fuel severe storms.
What creates the horizontal spin that a supercell updraft can tilt upright?
Changes in wind speed or direction with height roll the air; the updraft then tips that spin upright.
What storm feature do meteorologists call a mesocyclone?
A supercell contains a deep, persistent mesocyclone, but that rotation does not guarantee a tornado.