This video shows two tornadoes forming at the same time. The tornado on the right is still forming. Updrafts of warm air swirl inside. They form the funnel-shaped cloud. Downdrafts of cold air pull that cloud toward the ground. Sometimes two tornadoes form because a storm is strong and violent enough. Other times a smaller storm joins a larger storm. A second tornado can form from that second storm.
The colored area of the map is Tornado Alley. States that are in Tornado Alley include Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas. But some scientists think Tornado Alley may be moving southeast. Dry air from the western United States is reaching farther east. So states like Illinois, Mississippi, and Missouri might get more tornadoes than before.
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Making Connections
Text-to-Self
Are tornadoes common where you live? Why or why not?
Text-to-Text
Have you read books about other kinds of storms? What do they have in common with tornadoes? How are they different?
Text-to-World
Tornadoes create flying debris. Why does going to a basement help people stay safe?
Teacher Resources
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