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Tornadoes - A Weather Guide Tutorial

By Rachelle Oblack, About.com

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Living in Tornado Alley

Tornado Alley Map

The central plains have a larger chance of tornadoes.

NOAA
Tornado Alley Covers a Large Section of the United States
Tornado Alley is a common name used to indicate states that have a high likelihood of having a tornado. States included in Tornado Alley are
  • Texas
  • Colorado
  • Kansas
  • Nebraska
  • Oklahoma
  • Arkansas
  • Illinois
  • Indiana
  • Missouri
Other states with a high likelihood of tornado formation from different Tornado Alley maps show incidences averaged over time.

Is my State Safe from Tornadoes?
No! In fact tornadoes occur worldwide! Other countries include

  • Uruguay
  • Australia
  • The United Kingdom
  • South Africa
  • Japan
Most often, however, tornadoes occur in the United States and Canada. In the United States the number of tornadoes reported yearly is about a thousand on average. The conditions for the formation of tornadoes are specifically ideal here in the US for five main reasons including geographic location. Tornado Alley is right in the danger zone of the US for all types of severe weather.

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