Discover How Tornadoes Form and Turn Into a Behemoth Vortex

Kathleen Villaluz

Tornadoes are considered to be one of nature's most destructive and terrifying force. With extreme wind speeds and enormous size, tornadoes can easily annihilate any city it lands on. Let's take a look at how tornadoes form and grow, and discover the biggest tornado in history.

The formation of a tornado is down to the combination and accumulation of cold dry air, warm dry air, and warm moist air. When these air types converge, a rotating wall of cloud form and quickly turns into a deadly column of wind vortex.

Tornadoes occur in almost every part of the world, apart from Antarctica, but one of the most notorious tornado hubs on Earth is known as the Tornado Alley. Texas, Kansas, and Oklahoma are the three states in the US where the Tornado Alley expands. Because of the geographic location of these states, the constant flow of different kinds of air ensures that tornadoes occur in this area on a regular basis. Hence, the term Tornado Alley. Another tornado hub in the US is called the Dixie Alley and the states involved are Mississippi and Tennessee. The continent of Asia is also a great host for tornadoes as the same process of conflicting air convergence is a common phenomenon that part of the world.

Just like earthquakes, tornadoes are also categorized in some unit of measurement called the Fujita Scale or the more updated format is the Enhanced Fujita Scale. It starts from EF0 (65-85 mph of wind speed) up to EF5 (>200 mph of wind speed).

The biggest and most destructive tornado in recorded history was the 2013 El Reno tornado that occurred in Central Oklahoma. It was recorded to have an EF5 intensity with the highest wind speed at >295 mph and a 2.6 miles width. 151 people were injured in that natural disaster and a total of 8 people have died.

So, what would happen if you get caught in the middle of an intense tornado like the El Reno? Skip over to 4.34 minutes of the video to find out!