By: Katie McHugh, Valerie Rozzo,
And Kim Smethurst
What is a Tornado?
 A tornado is a dark funnel-shaped cloud made up of
violently rotating winds that can reach speeds of up to
300 m.p.h.
 The diameter of a tornado can vary between a few feet
and a mile.
What is a Tornado?
 Its track can extend from less than a mile to several
hundred miles.
 Tornadoes generally travel in a northeast direction
(depending on the prevailing winds) at speeds ranging
from 20-60 m.p.h.
What Causes a Tornado?
 Tornadoes are most often spawned by giant
thunderstorms known as "super cells.”
 These powerful, highly organized storms form when
warm, moist air along the ground rushes upward,
meeting cooler, drier air.
What Causes a Tornado?
 As the rising warm air cools, the moisture it carries
condenses, forming a massive thundercloud,
sometimes growing to as much as 50,000 ft. in height.
 Variable winds at different levels of the atmosphere
feed the updraft and cause the formation of the
tornado's characteristic funnel shape.
Where Do Tornadoes Occur?
 Central and southern U.S., where warm, humid air
from the Gulf of Mexico collides with cool, dry air from
the Rockies and Canada.
 This area, dubbed "tornado alley," extends roughly
from the Rocky Mountains to the Appalachians, and
from Iowa and Nebraska to the Gulf of Mexico.
 Tornadoes can also occur elsewhere, though, including
all U.S. states, Europe, Asia, and Australia.
When do Tornadoes Occur?
 Tornadoes are especially common during the spring
and early summer.
 May and June are the peak months in terms of
numbers of tornadoes.
When do Tornadoes Occur?
 April appears to be the deadliest month—an average of
27 tornado deaths occurred during this month
between 1950 and 1999
 One of the all-time worst tornado disasters occurred
on April 3-4, 1974, when 148 twisters struck 13 states
causing more than 300 deaths.
What Kind of Destruction do
Tornadoes cause?
 The Fujita scale classifies tornadoes according to the
damage they cause.
 Almost half of all tornadoes fall into the F1 or
"moderate damage" category. These tornadoes reach
speeds of 73-112 m.p.h. and can overturn automobiles
and mobile homes, rip off the roofs of houses, and
uproot trees.
What Kind of Destruction do
Tornadoes cause?
 Only about 1 percent of tornadoes are classified as F5,
causing "incredible damage." With wind speeds in
excess of 261 m.p.h., these tornadoes are capable of
lifting houses off their foundations and hurling them
considerable distances.
Ohio Tornadoes
 Miami County:
 13 tornadoes

F1, F2, F2, F1, F0, F1, F1, F1, F1, F1, F0, F1, F2
 Montgomery County:
 7 tornadoes

F1, F1, F1, F3, F1, F1, F1
Ohio Tornadoes
 Greene County:
 10 tornadoes

F2, F2, F1, F1, F2, F3, F5, F1, F1, F2
 F5 tornado occurred on April 3rd, 1974 killing 36 people and
injuring 1150 people.
Tornado Activity
 Materials:
 2 bottles
 Water
 Oil
 Duct tape
References

http://www.infoplease.com/spot/tornado1.html

El-Tigi, Manal, Ph.D. "Write a Lesson Plan Guide." The Educator's Reference Desk. 1 Dec. 1990.
Information Institute of Syracuse. 15 Apr. 2009 <http://www.eduref.org/Virtual/Lessons/
Guide.shtml>.
"Ohio Tornadoes 1950-1995." Tornado Project. 1999. Tornado Project. 15 Apr.
2009<http://www.tornadoproject.com/alltorns/ohtorn.htm#M>.
Ohio Department of Education. Academic Content Standards-K-12 Science. 2004. page 182.
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