F.A.Q’s

Frequently Asked Questions

Hurricanes:

Q: What is a hurricane?

A: A large, donut-shaped storm with heavy rain and strong winds blowing around a calm center.  Hurricanes are the biggest and most destructive storms on Earth.

Tornadoes:

Q: What is a tornado?

A: A tornado is a severe windstorm.  When you spot a twisting, spinning funnel reaching down from a huge dark cloud, that’s when you know it’s a tornado.  The funnel looks like a huge elephant trunk swaying back and forth.  A tornado funnel can be 10 feet to slightly over 1 mile wide.  Some funnels don’t even touch the ground at all.  Others touch down and race across the land.  Some skip or leap at from one point to another.  They touchdown, plow a path of destruction, and rise up into the air.

Q: Do tornadoes really twist?

A: Yes they do!  At the center of the storm, tornado winds spin around at very high speeds.  Some twist and twirl more than 3oo mph!  Tornado winds are the strongest and hardest winds on Earth, but I think you already knew that!  Tornadoes do twist and that’s how we get the name Twisters!

Q: Do tornado winds always twist in the same direction?

A: Actually, no.  In the Northern Hemisphere, most tornadoes twist counterclockwise.  In the Southern Hemisphere, most twist clockwise.

Q: What happens before a tornado?

A: Before a tornado a severe thunderstorm strikes the area.  Very few thunderstorms produce tornadoes, though, but every tornado is formed by a parent thunderstorm.

Q: How do tornadoes grow out of thunderstorms?

A: No one is quite sure.  Scientists have several theories about how tornadoes form and are working hard to understand them better.  Some severe thunderstorms produce the powerful, twisting winds of a tornado but some don’t and scientists are trying to find out.

Q: Do hailstones fall before a tornado?

A: Quite often.  The strong thunderstorms that create tornadoes often produce hailstones as well.

Q: What color are tornado funnels?

A: Before they touch the ground, tornadoes are white or clear.  They may even seem to shimmer in the light like it sucked up some glitter!  Once they touch the ground, however, the funnels turn black or dark gray as they sweep up tons of dirt, dust, and debris.

Q: What happens when a tornado passes over water?

A: You get a waterspout.  Instead of picking up dirt and debris, the tornado picks up water, making it move slower.

Q: What is the difference between a tornado and a hurricane?

A:  A hurricane is violent tropical storm affecting a wide area. A tornado is faster, but affects a much smaller area.

Q: Wich country gets the most tornadoes?

A: The United States.

Q: Where is Tornado Alley?

A: In the United States, stretching from Texas to North Dakota.

Q: How do people protect  themselves from tornadoes?

A: By building storm shelters, safe rooms or basements in their house.

Q: What should someone do if they are in a car when a tornado is coming?

A: Leave the car and find shelter in a strong building.

Q: What is the most dangerous thing about tornadoes?

A: Objects being blown around.