FACTBOX-Some facts about killer tornadoes
Pastor Dale Morgan
*Perilous Times
FACTBOX-Some facts about killer tornadoes*
02 Mar 2007 02:45:23 GMT
Source: Reuters
March 2 (Reuters) - Tornadoes ripped through the Southern and Midwestern
United States on Thursday, killing at least 19 people.
Following are some facts about tornadoes:
-- Tornadoes are one of nature's most violent storms. In an average
year, about 1,000 tornadoes are reported across the United States,
resulting in 80 deaths and more than 1,500 injuries.
-- A tornado is a violently rotating column of air extending from a
thunderstorm to the ground. The most violent tornadoes are capable of
tremendous destruction with wind speeds of 250 mph (400 kph) or more.
Damage paths can be in excess of one mile (1.6 km) wide and 50 miles (80
km) long.
-- Tornadoes come in all shapes and sizes and can occur anywhere in the
United States at any time of the year. In the southern states, peak
tornado season is March through May, while peak months in the northern
states are during the summer.
-- Because a tornado is part of a severe thunderstorm, and thunderstorms
occur all over the Earth, tornadoes are not limited to any specific
geographic location. Tornadoes have been documented in every one of the
United States, and on every continent, except Antarctica (even there, a
tornado occurrence is not impossible).
-- In terms of absolute tornado counts, the United States leads the
list, with an average of over 1,000 tornadoes recorded each year. A
distant second is Canada, with around 100 per year. Other locations that
experience frequent tornado occurrences include northern Europe, western
Asia, Bangladesh, Japan, Australia and New Zealand. Britain has more
tornadoes, relative to its land area, than any other country. Most
British tornadoes are relatively weak.
-- The deadliest tornado in the United States touched down on March, 18,
1925, killing 695 people and injuring 2,027 in Missouri, Illinois and
Indiana. (Source: U.S. National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration)