Tornadoes can form at any time of year, but most occur in the spring and summer months along with thunderstorms. May and June are usually the peak months for tornadoes. Which two states have the highest number of tornadoes per year per 10,000 sq miles?

The deadliest tornado in world history was the Daulatpur–Saturia tornado in Bangladesh on April 26, 1989, which killed approximately 1,300 people. In the history of Bangladesh at least 19 tornadoes killed more than 100 people each, almost half of the total for the rest of the world.

A waterspout is a whirling column of air and water mist. Waterspouts fall into two categories: fair weather waterspouts and tornadic waterspouts. Tornadic waterspouts are tornadoes that form over water, or move from land to water.

The reality is: an overpass may be one of the worst places to seek shelter from a tornado. An overpass as tornado shelter can put people at a greater risk of being killed or seriously injured by flying debris from the powerful tornado winds. Wind speeds in tornadoes can exceed 200 mph.

The four stages of a tornado include: the organization stage, mature stage, shrinking stage and decaying stage. These stages begin because of atmospheric conditions during a thunderstorm. A tornado begins in the organization stage, when it forms through a series of updrafts among cold and warm air systems.

As the RFD completely wraps around and chokes off the tornado’s air supply, the vortex begins to weaken, becoming thin and rope-like. This is the “dissipating stage”, often lasting no more than a few minutes, after which the tornado ends.

Stage 1 – The Beginning: The mesocyclone, along with the RFD, starts moving towards the ground. A small funnel appears to build up at the bottom of a wall cloud. As the RFD reaches the ground, the surrounding dirt rises up, causing damage even to heavy objects.