Stephen Kramer is the author of The Dark Zone and other science books for young readers. He teaches fifth grade near Vancouver, Washington, where he lives with his wife and two sons. In his spare time, he's learning to play the bagpipes!

Meet the Photographer
Warren Faidley is the world's only full-time storm-chasing photographer and journalist.
He often talks about severe weather on television and radio and also worked on the movie
Twister.
His "Storms" calendar is so popular that it sells out every year.

Verb: coming together, usually unexpectedly

Noun: A rotating funnel-shaped
Cloud forming the core of a tornado or waterspout.

Adjective: With rough, sharp points coming out

Noun: The occurrence of a natural electrical discharge of very short duration and high voltage between a cloud and the ground

Noun: A large open area of grassland

Adjective: Very great or very intense

Verb: very hot, can make a hissing sound.

Noun: A mobile, destructive vortex of violently rotating winds having the appearance of a funnel-shaped cloud

Saguaros grow very tall in the desert.

conditions
Tornadoes form when conditions are right.

occupation
Tornado chasers have an exciting occupation .

updraft
The updraft trunk of a supercell storm can look like stacked plates.

vortices
These vortices are created by whirling air.

multivortex
A multivortex tornado is a scary sight.

fortunate
You are fortunate if you have never experienced a multivortex tornado.

occupation lightning tornadoes updraft collide fortunate saguaros rotate

sizzling vortices funnel cloud jagged multivortex conditions severe prairies

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