Curious about tornadoes? Check out these fun facts about tornadoes for kids!
Facts About Tornadoes
Tornadoes are one of the most powerful types of weather that can occur.
What are tornadoes? Where do tornadoes hit? Why do tornadoes happen?
Do you have as many questions about tornadoes as we do?
Well, join us as we learn all about tornadoes.
Let’s get started with some fun facts and discover what tornadoes are, where tornadoes are most likely to happen, and why tornadoes form!
You Might Like: Look Inside Wild Weather
This article contains affiliate links to things that you might like.
Tornado Fun Facts
Tornadoes are formed from thunderstorms.
Thunderstorms alone do not cause tornadoes.
However, when there is a change in wind direction, wind speed, and temperature during a big thunderstorm, it is possible that a tornado can be formed.
Tornadoes are made of air.
Tornadoes are made up of really fast-spinning tubes of air that form a funnel.
They touch the clouds up in the sky and the ground down below.
Sometimes they spin so fast that buildings, trees, and other objects can be broken apart and thrown around. Oh my!
Tornadoes are measured with the Fujita Scale.
The Fujita scale measures the strength of tornadoes, ranging from F0 to F5.
F0 tornadoes are considered weak and cause a little bit of damage if any.
F5 tornadoes are said to be violent and can cause a lot of destruction.
Tornadoes have very high winds.
Some tornadoes can have wind speeds of around 65 miles per hour. That is fast!
However, really strong tornado winds can reach speeds up to 300 miles per hour. Wow!
Most tornadoes occur in Tornado Alley.
Tornado Alley is an area in the central United States where tornadoes are the most common.
From Texas all the way up to South Dakota and from Missouri over to the Rocky Mountains, tornadoes are most likely to occur; but tornadoes can actually happen anywhere in the world.
Tornadoes can be created over water.
When a tornado is above water, such as the ocean or another body of water, it is called a waterspout.
A tornado waterspout can be formed over water or move from land to water.
A tornado has other names.
Tornadoes aren’t just called tornadoes. They can also be known as twisters, cyclones, and funnels.
The safest place to be during a tornado is underground.
Basements, cellars, and other underground places are the safest places to ride out a tornado.
If you can’t get to an underground shelter, head to a room that has no windows on the bottom or first floor of your house or building.
Take shelter in a bathroom or closet, and if you can, cover yourself with a blanket, sleeping bag, or mattress.
Tornado Fun Facts for Kids
As you’ve just discovered, tornadoes are an incredible force of nature.
While it seems that the what, where, how, and why of a tornado is understood, tornadoes are so complex, that even scientists are actually still learning about them.
We look forward to finding more out about tornadoes in the future!
We hope you’ve enjoyed these fun facts about tornadoes!
Holly
Wednesday 30th of August 2023
Living in Texas, I always thought I knew pretty much everything there is to know about this topic, but these interesting facts on tornadoes taught me a couple of things! I love how this is presented in a way that's not so scary for kids.
Melanie C
Tuesday 29th of August 2023
I like that you made this fun facts about tornadoes post - it has helped my kids understand them more and make them more fascinating - not just scary weather!
Becky
Monday 28th of August 2023
Our daughter was so scared of tornados until I started teaching her about tornados. These fun facts about tornadoes made it a lot less scary and a lot more interesting for her. Thank you!
Rita Joy
Monday 28th of August 2023
Even though I grew up in tornado territory, I learned some new fun facts about tornadoes with this post!
Cindy
Saturday 26th of August 2023
Tornados are my least favorite weather phenomenon where I live... but learning about them is helping me prepare better - thank you!