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You are here: Home / Geography / When Is Tornado Season In the United States?

When Is Tornado Season In the United States?

April 15, 2020 by Karen Hill

Tornadoes usually form in the spring when thunderstorms create strong vertical wind shears that cause updrafts of wind to rotate at high speeds.

This violently rotating column of wind extends from the base of the thunderstorm cloud to the ground.

On the ground, the tornado’s swirling winds gather up dust and debris, which is why we can see them.

Tornadoes can grow to be 6,500 feet (1,981 m) high and 2,000 feet (610 m) across.

Wind speeds inside a tornado can reach 370 miles (596 km) per hour.

Although tornadoes can occur at any time, the season of greatest activity begins in the Gulf Coast states in early March.

The peak period in the southern Plains is from May to early June.

In the northern Plains and upper Midwest, most tornadoes occur in June and July.

Related Facts

  • Where Is Tornado Alley Located and Why Is the Central United States Known As Tornado Alley?
  • How Is a Tornado In the United States Different From a Tornado In Australia?
  • Why is the tornado scale that measures the severity of a tornado called the F scale?
  • Where does the word "Tornado" come from and What does Tornado mean in Spanish?
  • When Is Hurricane Season In the United States?
  • What Was the Fastest Tornado Ever Recorded In the United States?

Filed Under: Geography

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

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