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CONTENTS OF YOUR KIT

Fun & Fact Manual

Storm Cloud Lid

Tornado MakerModels

Tractor, Pig & Cow

32

Table of Contents

Hot Summer Evening.......................................................................................................

Definition of a Tornado....................................................................................................

Where Tornadoes Occur...................................................................................................

When Tornadoes Occur....................................................................................................

How Tornadoes Occur...................................................................................................... Tornadic Storm....................................................................................................... Squall Lines............................................................................................................. Supercells.................................................................................................................

Thunderstorms..................................................................................................................

Tornado Damage/Fujita Scale.........................................................................................

Structure of a Tornado.....................................................................................................

How a Tornado Travels....................................................................................................

How Tornadoes Dissipate.................................................................................................

Forecasting Tornadoes......................................................................................................

Tornado Safety..................................................................................................................

Amazing Phenomenon......................................................................................................

U.S. 10 Worst Tornadoes..................................................................................................

Worlds Worst Tornado Outbreaks..................................................................................

Making Your Own Tornadoes With Your Tornado Maker...........................................

TORNADOES

It’s a hot summer evening in the Midwestern United States, the air is humid andto the west the sky starts to darken as storm clouds gather and grow. Soon the still airbegins to move as the approaching clouds reach higher into the sky and blacken witheach passing moment. Light rain begins to fall and then it turns to a downpour as the wind starts to gust violently. The rain turns to hail and the dark clouds seem to reachdown to the ground. The base of the cloud starts to rotate; First slowly, then faster.Now it stretches to the ground....Tornado!

This scene plays out hundreds of times each year all over the earth. The birthof the most violent and unpredictable storm on the planet, a tornado. Tornadoes arealso known by other terms such as twister, whirlwind, cyclone, funnel, finger of God andWilly Willy (in Australia), and are defined as a violently rotating column of airextending from thunder storm clouds to the ground. This column of rotating air is often seen as a funnel shape but can take on many other shapes as well. They can be seen as columns of air. They can be hour glass shape or just a large mass. They can alsoresemble a rope. They also vary in size. Some are only a few yards wide and others have been estimated to be more than one mile wide. But no matter the size or shape, they are dangerous and destructive.

Rope Shape V-Shape CylinderShape

Wedge Shape

HourglassShape

Cone Shape

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5

5

6

9

9111113

12

14

18

18

19

21

21

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WHERE TORNADOES OCCUR

Tornadoes can occur almost anywhere in the world except Antarctica but some countries have far more than others. The United States has more tornadoes than any other country. The U.S. averages about 800 tornadoes per year and this can range from 400 to more than 1,200 per year. In the U.S., tornadoes have been reported in 49 of the 50 states.Can you guess which state hasn’t had a tornado? If you guessed Alaska, you arecorrect. Why not Alaska? It’s because Alaska does not get warm, moist, tropicalair masses, which are neccesary to create and feed these violent storms.

Most tornadoes occur in the midwestern United States, in an area known as“Tornado Alley”. Tornado Alley is an area that stretches from Texas up to Minnesotaand includes Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri, Arkansas, South Dakota,Colorado, Wisconsin, Mississippi, Tennessee, Kentucky, Texas, Minnesota, Louisiana, Ohio, Illinois and Indiana. Of these states, Oklahoma has the most tornadoes relative to its size. (Number of tornadoes for every 10,000 square miles of land.)(26,000 square km)

There is one state that has more tornadoes per year, relative to its size, than any other state, even Oklahoma. This state is not found in Tornado Alley! Floridaexperiences more tornadoes in a year than any of the other 49 states!

There are very few tornadoes in the states west of the Rocky Mountains.Many of these states have very dry climates, and don’t have enough surface moistureto feed or create the big storms that produce tornadoes. The most northern statesalso produce fewer tornadoes because, like Alaska, they are not fed the warmtropical air that helps to produce many tornadoes.

The reason the United States has the most tornadoes is because of it’sgeography or how the land is shaped and what surrounds the land. The U.S. haswarm, tropical waters to the South and very cold, land masses to the North. There is a large mountain range called the Rockies that extends from the Southwest all theway up into Canada. East of the Rockies we find flat land called the Great Plains. Allof these features play a major role in why the United States is the tornado capital of the world. The roles of these geographic features are discussed in more detailunder “How Tornadoes Form”.

California

Texas

New MexicoArizona

Nevada

Utah

Colorado

Oklahoma

Kansas

Nebraska

Wyoming

Idaho

Washington

Oregon

MontanaNorth

Dakota

SouthDakota

Minnesota

Iowa

Missouri

Arkansas

Louisiana

MississippiAlabama Georgia

Florida

South Carolina

North CarolinaTennessee

Virgina

Kentucky

Wisconsin

Michigan

Illinois IndianaOhio

Pennsylvania

W. Virginia

Maine

VT

NH

MA

CT

New York

New Jersey

Delaware

Tornado Alley States

Florida, Most tornadoes per 10,000 Sq. miles of land. (26,000 Sq. km)

DesertRegion

6 7

Some other countries that experience tornadoes are, Canada, Australia,United Kingdom (England), Netherlands, Germany, Poland, Israel and India. Other parts of the world that experience tornadoes are South Central and Eastern Asia, East Central and South America and South Africa. In fact, the worlds deadliest tornado happened in Bagladesh on April 12, 1989, it cost 1,300 people lost their lives and 50,000people were left homeless.

Many tornadoes are spawned from hurricanes or typhoons. Any part of theworld that can be effected by hurricanes can experience tornadoes.

HOW TORNADOES FORM

Scientists have yet to determine exactly how tornadoes form and there aremany reasons why. Tornadoes are very dangerous and you can not get close to themto study them. It is also not possible yet to determine exactly when and where a tornado will occur. As technology improves and scientists continue to study these amazing storms it is hoped that one day we will know exactly how they are formed and be able to forecast and predict them accurately. It is then that more suffcient warning can be given to those who are in the paths of these storms, which will save many more lives.

Currently there is more than one theory on how tornadoes are formed and allcould be correct. Afterall each tornado is unique and it stands to reason that theycould form in different ways. Following are the most common theories.

One theory is that when warm and cold air fronts collide, the warm air risesand rolls over the top of the cold air as the cold air dips below and rolls under the warm air. This creates an invisible horizontal spinning motion in the air near the ground.As a thunderstorm develops along these warm and cold fronts the updraft of the warm air tilts the spinning air from horizontal to vertical. As the storm grows and riseshigh into the atmosphere the spinning increases, creating what is called a mesocyclone.The spinning column of air then stretches below the storm cloud forming a funnelcloud. If this funnel reaches the ground it is then called a tornado.

Mesocyclone: Rapidly rotating air mass within a thunderstorm.

Cold air dips below androlls under the warm air.

Warm air rolls over the cold air.

Updraft of the warmair tilts the spinning air

from horizontal to vertical.

Spinning increases creatingthe mesocyclone, and a

tornado is born.

WARMDRYAIR

WARMMOIST

AIR

COLDDRYAIR

indicates tornado activity

Equator

WarmAir Mass

ColdAirMass

Three converging air masses that create instabilityand storms in the Great Planes.

Tornadoes can occur anytime of the year, however, most occur in the spring and earlysummer months, April, May and June in the Northern Hemisphere, October, November andDecember in the Southern Hemisphere. They can also occur at any time of the day but mosthappen between 3pm and 9pm. Although no time is a good time for tornadoes, the worst timeis in the middle of the night when people are sleeping and are less likely to be aware ofapproaching severe weather. Tornadoes are least likely to occur at dawn because this is when the air is most stable.

WHEN TORNADOES OCCUR

8 9

Another theory in which tornadoes are thought to form involves developingthunderstorms. When the warm air currents rush up into the atmosphere, theystart to rotate, similar to water that starts to rotate as it rushes down the drain. This createsa mesocyclone. As the storm grows in intensity it becomes what is known as a supercell, or a very strong thunderstorm. When rainfall from this storm becomes increasingly intense it brings with it a cool, quickly descending column of air. This column of air is also rotating and it narrows as it lowers to the ground. When it narrows it spins much faster. This is similar to when a figure skater starts to spin with their arms out to their sides and then draws them close to their body, the figure skater then spins much faster. This spinning lowering column of air makes a funnel shape. This can be seen because of the condensed water molecules (cloud) in it. If this funnel cloud extends to the ground, it is then considered a tornado.

THEORY FOR TORNADOES FORMING IN “TORNADO ALLEY”

The United States experiences the most tornadoes of any other country by far.The reason for this is because of the country’s unique geography. Following are elements needed for a tornado to form according to this theory: - Warm Moist Air - Hot Dry Air - Cold Dry Air - Change in Wind Speed With Height

Each of these elements are readily available in the United States due to it’s geography. The warm moist air comes from south, out of the Gulf of Mexico. The hotdry air comes out of desert region in the southwest. The cold dry air comes from thenorth out of Canada. The change in wind speed comes from the strong winds outof the west that come up and over the Rocky Mountains from the Pacific Ocean. It iseast of the Rockies where all of these air masses converge to create very unstable air.Because cold air is more dense or heavier it sinks. Warm air is less dense or lighterand it rises. The cold air sinking below the warm air forces the warm air up higherin the atmosphere. The moisture in the warm air condenses, forming storm clouds.As this process continues the storm clouds grow bigger, higher and stronger. Thehot dry air forms a middle layer and creates a cap, holding the warm moist air and warming it further. As the storm moves east the cap breaks up and the warm moist air rushes to higher altitudes, up to 50,000 feet. At the same time, the cold air rushes down.

Squall LinesA line of thunderstorms that are very high(up to 50,000 feet) and very long (can belonger than 100 miles) and oftentimes havegaps between them. These can producetornadoes also, and often several differentones as they move from west to east.

Satellite Map overlooking a squall line expandingthrough Texas, Arkansas and Oklahoma.

When the column of rising air reaches the jet stream, (fast moving, highaltitude wind currents), this change in wind speed creates a wind shear and causes the rising air to start to rotate. If this rotation is fast enough, a tornado is born. Before this rotating air reaches the ground, it is called a funnel cloud. It is not a tornado until it makes contact with the ground.

All tornadoes are triggered by thunderstorms. Some are isolated or singlestorms; others are part of a large storm systems or squall lines.

Tornadic Storm: Isolated thunderstorms that produce tornadoes.

Anvil

Mammatus Clouds

Shelf Cloud

DownCurrents

UpCurrents

Wind Shear

Descending Cold Air

Rising Warm Air

Rotation Starts

10 11

THUNDERSTORMS

Thunderstorms are happening everyday all around the world, as many as1500 or more at any given time. That works out to millions and millions each year.Of these thunderstorms about 10% are considered severe, which is a storm thatproduces large hail or winds over 58 mph (93 km/h). A thunderstorm needs three elements to occur, moisture for clouds to form, warm air that can rise quicklyand elements to help lift the warm air high into the sky like cold fronts or heat fromthe sun. When thunderstorms start to develop you will see large cummulus clouds(big puffy white ones) starting to rise high up into the sky. This is the warm moist air rising high up. When the moisture hits the cold air it condenses, forming small waterdroplets, this is your cloud. At this point there may be some light rain or even lightning.As the storm grows bigger and higher there are large warm updrafts and large cold down drafts. There can be heavy rain, lightning and hail and very strong winds. Thewinds are caused by the rapidly falling cold air and rushing into replace the warm airthat is rapidly rising. Eventually the updrafts taper off and are overcome by the colddown drafts and the storm dissipates. All this can happen in as little as 30 minutes,but sometimes can last much longer.

SUPERCELL

In general warm air rises in upward currents and cold air falls in downwardcurrents. When these happen next to eachother it is called a convection cell. In normal storm clouds, these two currents interfere with eachother until the cold down currents overcome the warm up currents. The cold rain or snow cools the warmair and the storm dissipates. If the up currents and down currents stay seperated thestorm can last much longer. Some of these cells grow to huge proportions of morethan 5 miles across and reach heights of 50,000 feet. These are called supercells.These supercells can and often do produce large and violent tornadoes.

TORNADO DAMAGE AND INTENSITY SCALES

Tornado strength and intensity in the United States is measured in a scale called the Fujita Scale or “F” Scale. This scale was developed by Tetsuya Theodore Fujita, a professor of meteorology at the University of Chicago. He wanted to develop a way to determine the force of a tornado. Because it is hard to get close to one to measure its force, he determined that studying the damage of a tornado could help determine itsforce. He could determine what force it would take to lift cars, destroy buildings or uproottrees, so he used this information to develop his Fujita Tornado Intensity Scale.

40,000 ft.

Heavy RainLight Rain

32 Freezing Level

Warm MoistAir Rising

DEVELOPINGSTORM

Warm Moist Air Rising.Cool Air and Rain Descending.

MATURE STORM

Cool Air and Rain Descending.STORM DISSIPATING

Anvil

Mammatus Clouds

Shelf Cloud

RainTornadoWall Cloud

Supercell Storm Cloud

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RATING WIND SPEED DAMAGE EXPECTED

F-0 LIGHTF-1 MODERATE

F-2 CONSIDERABLE DAMAGEF-3 SEVERE DAMAGE F-4 DEVASTATING DAMAGEF-5 INCREDIBLE DAMAGE

WEAK

STRONG

VIOLENT

ENHANCED FUJITA SCALE

In 2007 a revised Fujita Scale was put into effect. As scientists gathered moreexact wind speed data using high tech instruments like Doppler Radar, they determinedthat the previous scale exaggerated actual wind speeds. Following is the enhancedF Scale or EF Scale. These wind speeds are still estimates based on damage.

RATING DAMAGE EXPECTED

EF-0 LIGHTEF-1 MODERATE

EF-2 CONSIDERABLE DAMAGEEF-3 SEVERE DAMAGE EF-4 DEVASTATING DAMAGEEF-5 INCREDIBLE DAMAGE

WEAK

STRONG

VIOLENT

TORRO

The Tornado and Storm Research Organization is an international organizationthat studies tornadoes and storms. They use an international tornado intensity scalecalled the T-Scale or, the Torro Scale. This scale ranges from a low of T-0 to a high T-10.Below is a table with the T-Scale details.

T-0 Loose litter raised in spirals, tents, marquees, awnings seriously disturbed. Garden furniture and posts disturbed.

T-1 Deck chairs, small plants, heavy litter airborn, minor damage to sheds, slight damage to trees.

T-2 Heavy mobile homes displaced, garden sheds destroyed, garage roofs torn away, general damage to trees.

T-3 Mobile homes turned over, garages destroyed, roofs torn off houses, large trees uprooted, heavy debris airborn.

T-4 Motor cars levitated, mobile homes airborne, sheds airborne, entire roofs removed from houses, some large trees uprooted and carried several yards.

T-5 Motor vehicles levitated, items sucked out from inside houses, older weaker buildings collapse.

T-6 Strongly built houses suffer major damage or are damaged, objects embedded in walls, small structures elevated.

T-7 Brick and wooden framed houses demolished, locomotives thrown over, de-barking of trees.

T-8 Motor cars carried far distances, steel framed factories severely damaged or destryoed.

T-9 Locomotives hurled far distances, complete de-barking of tree trunks, inhabitants survival reliant on shelter below ground level.

T-10 Entire houses lifted from foundations and carried far distances, trees and man made structures destroyed.

WIND SPEED

39-54 mph63-87 kmh

55-72 mph89-116 kmh

73-92 mph118-148 kmh

93-114 mph150-184 kmh

115-136 mph185-219 kmh

137-160 mph221-258 kmh

161-186 mph260-300 kmh

187-212 mph301-342 kmh

213-240 mph344-387 kmh

241-269 mph389-434 kmh

270-299 mph435-482 kmh

40-72 mph64-116 kmh

72-112 mph116-180 kmh

113-157 mph182-253 kmh158-206 mph253-332 kmh207-260 mph334-419 kmh261-318 mph421-513 kmh

65-85 mph105-137 kmh

86-110 mph139-177 kmh

111-135 mph179-218 kmh

136-165 mph219-266 kmh166-200 mph268-322 kmh

Over 200 mphOver 322kmh

Fujita or “F” ScaleTORRO Scale

14 15

Most tornadoes in the United States are weak (69%). However, 29% are strongand 2% are violent. Damage from tornadoes varies depending on its strength. Belowis a list of what might be expected from the different ratings.

EF-0 Broken branches, shingles blown off roofs, damaged TV antennas.

EF-1 Smaller trees blown down, broken windows, light trailers pushed or overturned.

EF-2 Smaller trees blown down, broken windows, light trailers pushed or overturned.

EF-3 Roofs turn off houses, trailer homes destroyed, large trees broken or uprooted, railroad cars pushed over, cars blown off roads.

EF-4 Houses completely leveled, trees debarked, cars and trains thrown, large missiles generated.

EF-5 Whole houses blown off foundations, steel and reinforced concrete buildings sustain severe damage. Incredible phenomenon.

69% 29% 2%

Less than 5% deathsLifetime 1-10+ minutes

winds less than 110 mph

30% of deaths20+ minutes110-205 mph

70% of deaths60+ minutes

205+ mph

Usually the funnel of a tornado is relatively small and much of the damage is caused by flying debris. This is also the cause of most injuries and deaths.

Damage of an EF-2 Tornado

Damage of an EF-4 Tornado

Damage of an EF-0 Tornado

Damage of an EF-3 Tornado

Damage of an EF-5 Tornado

Notice all the debris swirling around the base of the tornado.

Damage of an EF-1 Tornado

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* Photos courtesy of N.O.A.A

* Photos courtesy of N.O.A.A

STRUCTURE OF A TORNADO

The center of a tornado has very low pressure, which creates a vacuum thatsucks in the air around it and any objests that are nearby. Close to the tornado, air near the ground is drawn towards the vortex. Many times it is clear air that cannot be seenuntil it reaches the ground and starts picking up dust and debris that make it visible.As the funnel extends to the ground it narrows and the narrower it gets, the faster thefunnel spins, like a figure skater who spins with her arms extended then pulls theminto a spin faster.

The center of the tornado is clear like the eye of a hurricane and fairly calm.But, the wind speeds around the eye can sometimes reach more than 300 mph.Most of the damage caused by tornadoes is from the force of these winds. In the NorthernHemisphere tornadoes spin clockwise , in the Southern Hemisphere they spin counterclockwise .

HOW A TORNADO TRAVELS

The large storm clouds that produce tornadoes are carried by mid-levelatmospheric winds, at an approximate altitude of 20,000 feet. Most of these stormclouds or storm systems move in a north easterly direction, which is moving from southwest to northeast. The tornadoes move along with these storms. They usuallytravel at speeds between 25 and 50 mph, and although their general direction isnortheast, they move over the ground very erratically. Where the funnel meets the ground the movement can be circular, back and forth, even in the shape of a figure “8”, which at times can make the tornado appear to be moving backward. Most tornadoesare very short lived and travel only a short distance. There are many on record thoughthat have stayed on the ground for hours and traveled hundreds of miles. One tornado in1977 traveled across Illinois and Indiana and stayed on the ground for over seven hours,traveling more than 300 miles.

HOW TORNADOES DISSIPATE

Tornadoes can dissipate in several ways. All have a common denominator,which is a loss of energy. The storms that tornadoes are spawned from have great concentrated energy and a tornado is an even further concentration of that energy.In nature, energy moves from areas of higher concentration to areas of lowerconcentration until energy levels are equal. This is the Second Law of Thermodynamics.As the energy in the tornado reduces, it starts to slow and get thinner and may resemble a dangling rope. Dissipating tornadoes will lift off the ground and fade until they dissappear.

Tornadoes can also dissipate when cold down drafts of air from the rear of thestorm wrap around and interfere with the warm updrafts that feed the storm.

WarmUp Drafts

Cold DownDrafts

Cold down drafts wrap around storm center and interfere with warm updraftscausing balance, or creating stability anddissipating the storms energy.

Slower Spin

Faster Spin

FastSpin

FastSpin

SlowSpin

SlowSpin

18 19

Entropy- The 2nd Law of Thermodynamics

Areas of high energy flow towards areas of low energy until a balance is reached.

Another way tornadoes dissipate is when air enters the low pressure area in thecenter of the vortex, equalizing the inside and outside pressure causing the tornado tobreak up. Uneven terrain, hills and mountains can break up tornadoes also. Cities andtowns can also break up tornadoes, but usually not before the tornado “breaks” up someof the city or town.

FORECASTING TORNADOES

Forecasting tornadoes in the United States is done by the Storm Prediction Center and the National Weather Service. In other parts of the world they forecasted by various organizations depending on the country or region. Weather services have many tools that they use to help perform this task. They use satellites, weather stations, weather balloons, airplanes, radar and more. When trying to predict severe weather and tornadoes, the forecasters look for windflow and temperature patterns that can cause the four elements needed for severe weather; moisture, instability, lift and wind shear. But, even if these are all present, there may or may not be severe weather. This makes the forecasters job very difficult. They use weather models to try and predict where severe weather will develop. Once storms develop, they look for wind patterns that make thunderstorms rotate. These large rotating thunderstorms are called supercells. Supercells are storms that can and often do produce tornadoes, but not always. Weather Services will issue a tornado watch when conditions are right for producing a tornado. When a tornado is detected on a radar, or spotted by a reliable source (a trained tornado spotter) they then issue a tornado warning.

TORNADO SAFETY

Tornado safety starts by being aware of weather conditions in your area. It is especially important to be aware if you live in an area where tornadoes arefrequently produced, like Tornado Alley. In the U.S. we have learned that most tornadoesoccur in the spring and summer months. This is when our awareness should be at it’s peak.

Pay attention to your local weather forecasts and when severe weather isanticipated for your area, stay tuned to a local TV or radio station for updates. Andof course, watch the sky. If conditions are right for a tornado, your local WeatherService will issue a tornado watch. If a watch is issued, you should pay attention for further developments.

When the Weather Service detects a tornado, they will issue a WARNING. Theywill issue the warning for a specific area. If you live in that area, you need to take coverimmediately. Do not wait to hear or see a tornado. If you can see it, it’s usuallyTOO late to take cover!

High Energy Low Energy Balance

Other World Forecasting Services

Canada-MeteorologicalService of Canada

Australia-Bureau of Meteorology

Europe-European StormForecast Experiment

Germany, Austria, Switzerland-TORDACH

United Kingdom-TORRO

Japan-Japan MeteorologicalAgency

Air entersbalancing pressureinside and out and

dissipates vortex

Uneven Terrain

20 21

If you are at home: - Go to the basement and get under a sturdy piece of furniture to protect yourself from falling debris.

- If you don’t have a basement, go to a room at the center of the house on the lowest level; this may be a bathroom, a closet, or under a staircase. Try to avoid windows, as flying glass is very dangerous. If possible, cover your head and neck with pillows or cushions to protect them. If you take shelter in a bathroom, get into the bathtub because it’s sturdy and will add protection.

If you are at school, or in a shopping center: - Move to designated shelter areas. - If you don’t know where the shelter is or it’s too far, move to a center hallway on the lowest floor, away from windows. - Stay out of theatres or gymnasiums with large roofs because they can collapse easily.

If you are outside in the open: - Move away from the tornadoes path at right angles.

- If there is not enough time, lie flat in a ditch or ravine.

If you are in a car: - Find a sturdy building to seek shelter. - If there are no sturdy buildings, find a ditch and lie flat. - Do not seek shelter under an overpass. A widely viewed video showed people seeking shelter under an overpass who survived. However, studies have shown that most people who seek shelter under an overpass are severely injured or killed.

PHENOMENON

Tornadoes have produced some of the most amazing phenomena. Justa few of these are listed below. Further studies of this subject will reveal endless others.

- A kitchen table is found smashed in a neighbors yard. The napkin holder that sat on the table was found on the kitchen floor where the table used to be with napkins still in it!

- An entire bed was missing from the bedroom but the chair next to the bed was still there with clothes neatly folded on it.

- A car was found wrapped around a tree so tightly it had to be cut off. The engine of the car was missing and never found.

- Small splinters of wood; smaller than toothpicks, were found imbedded in a truck tire.

- Two men watching from a warehouse door saw an entire tractor trailer lifted 6 inches off the ground and set right back down with no damage as a tornado passed overhead.

- A locomotive was lifted off the tracks, turned 180 degrees, and set back on the tracks facing the opposite direction.

WORLDS WORST TORNADO OUTBREAKS

A tornado outbreak is when several tornadoes occur in a very short timeperiod, usually one or two days. There have been many outbreaks over the yearssince records started being kept, but there are three that were, by far, the worstand most notable.

On March 18, 1925, the deadliest tornado event in U.S. history occured. Over747 people lost their lives that day in tornadoes. One tornado in particular remained on the ground for over three hours and traveled over 200 miles, killing 695 people.It is known as the tri-state tornado, as it moved from Illinois to Indiana and into Ohio.

Tornado

Escape

Escape

22 23

On April 11, 1965, an outbreak known as the Palm Sunday Outbreak occuredin the U.S. Over 48 tornadoes caused damage in six states in the U.S. that day andkilled 271 people. The most notable tornado of that day was a twin funnel F-5tornado that struck Elkhart Indiana. It was determined many lives were lost becausewarnings could not be passed to towns in the path of these storms due to downedpower lines and downed phone lines. It was after this outbreak that many of thewatches and warning systems that exist today were developed so that tragediessuch as these would not be repeated.

April 3, 1974 was the day known for the “Super” outbreak. More tornadoeswere reported on this day than any other in history. A total of 148 tornadoesoccured that day throughout the south and midwestern United States. There were sixF-5 tornadoes; the deadliest of which was in Xenia, Ohio, where 34 people lost theirlives. Following is a map of where these tornadoes touched down and their paths.

Famous double vortex tornado from 1965 Palm Sunday Outbreak

24 25

10 WORST U.S. TORNADOES

#10 - June 8, 1953, Flint Michigan F-5 TORNADO HITS, killing 115 people and injuring 844

#9 - June 12, 1899, New Richmond Wisconsin; An F-5 tornado kills 117 amd injures 200 people

#8 - April 24, 1908 Louisiana Mississippi; F-4 TORNADO HOTS, Killing 143 people and injuring 770

#7 - May 22, 2011 Joplin Missouri Killing 158 people and injuring over a 1,000

#6 - April 9, 1947 Texas/Oklahoma; F-5 TORNADO HITS, killing 181 people and injuring 970

#5 - April 6, 1936 Gainsville, Florida Two tornadoes converged to an F-4, killing 203 people and injuring 1,600

#4 - April 5, 1936 Tupelo, Mississippi F-5 TORNADO HITS, killing 216 people and injuring 700

#3 - May 27, 1896 St. Louis, Missouri F-4 TORNADO HITS, killing 255 people and injuring 1,000

#2 - May 7, 1840 Louisiana/Mississippi An F-Scale unknown killed 317 people and injured 109. Most deaths occured on the Mississippi River.

#1 - March 18, 1925 Tri-State 695 people are killed and 2,027 people are injured by this F-5 tornado. This torndao is, by far the worst in U.S. history. This tornado stayed on the ground for over 3 hours and traveled over 200 miles across the states of Missouri, Illinois and Indiana. This was also part of one of the worst\ “Outbreaks” in U.S. history!

You may notice that many of these worst occured many years ago. Back then,we did not have the warning systems that we have today. We now have warningsystems in place, better forecasting and predictions, and better ways to get theinformation to the public via radio and television. This has helped to greatly reduce the number of deaths and injuries caused by tornadoes.

Countries Around the World Worst Tornado Disasters

- November 2006, Saroma, Japan 9 lives lost and 24 injured

- April 26, 1989, Bangladesh 1300 lives lost

- July, 10 1916, Wiener Neustadt, Austria 32 lives lost and 300 injured

- December 28, 1879, Tay Estuary, Scotland 79 lives lost

- July 24, 1930, Po-udine, Italy 23 lives lost

- December, 1851, Sicily, Italy 500 lives lost

- August 19, 1845, Seine-Maritime, France 200 lives lost

- May, 15 1958, Rawa Mazowiecka, Poland 3 lives lost

- June 9, 1984, Ivanova-Yaroslav, Russia 400 lives lost

- April 8, 1838, Carcuta, India 215 lives lost

- April 10, 1978, Orissa, India 150 lives lost

- March 17, 1978, New Delhi, India 28 lives lost and 700 injured

26 27

CREATING YOUR OWN TORNADO

To create your own tornadoes, you must first install three “AA” batteriesin your TORNADO MAKER™.CAUTION: Batteries should be replaced by an adult. Do not dispose of batteries in fire - Batteries may explode or leak. Alkaline batteries recommended. Do notmix alkaline and non-alkaline batteries.

Fill your tornado maker up with water to the fill line as shown. Pressthe “Storm Cloud” lid onto top securely. Turn the dial to the EF-1 position to simulate an EF-1 tornado! Watch as thetornado descends from the storm cloud. Remember, its only a funnel cloud untilit reaches the ground; then its a tornado!

To create more powerful tornadoes with greater “wind” speed, turn up thedial to EF-2, EF-3, EF-4 and all the way to EF-5!

Included with your set are some small models that you can put in yourtornado maker to see how objects are caught up and spun around in thesepowerful whirlwinds!

There is a small window at the top of your storm cloud so you can lookdirectly down into the vortex of your tornado!

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Base of Tornado

Fill Line1” below top

of clear cylinder

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3. Press the sound button for real tornado sounds!

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