1. Nature’s Most Destructive Force
Tornadoes
Nature’s Most Destructive Force

2. Tornadoes

3. What is a tornado?
A tornado is a funnel-shaped storm with winds that spin at high speeds (more than 300 miles per hour)
The United States has more tornadoes than any other country in the world.
The United States has more than 1,200 tornadoes every year that cause millions of dollars in damage.

5. What causes a tornado?
A tornado is caused by instability in the atmosphere (air is moving around a lot)
Cold air from high in the sky moves down to the ground, and warm air from the ground moves up to the sky.
These two temperatures of air mix and form a thundercloud that rises high in the sky.
The air starts to spin and a tornado is born.

7. Effects of Tornadoes Houses are destroyed
People and animals can be killed
Crops are destroyed
Disease can spread
Water gets contaminated (poisoned)
Communities are demolished and must be rebuilt