Tornadoes, storms, and severe weather.
Test your knowledge with these top questions!
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.
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
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 keeps hailstones aloft long enough to add layer after layer of ice?
The updraft repeatedly lifts hailstones into very cold air, where supercooled water adds new ice.
How do Wireless Emergency Alerts reach phones in a tornado warning area?
WEA uses one-way cell broadcasts, so the system does not track individual phones or require an app signup.