Tornadoes????

Question

What states are part of tornado alley? Also, why do so many tornadoes form within this region?

Answer 1

This is a good question.

Tornado alley consists of many Central U.S. states where tornadoes form most often. I don't know of an official list of states in tornado alley though. The following link contains a picture where tornado alley is:

http://www.nssl.noaa.gov/primer/tornado/...

So many tornadoes form within this region because the conditions are most favorable there. Contrasting air masses, such as maritime tropical (mT) and continental polar (cP), commonly collide within this region. The jet stream usually passes through there as well.

Answer 2

There is not  really a set place for tornado alley because different parts of the country are more likely to see tornadoes during different times of the year. However, in spring, especially in April and May, typically the southern plains including Texas, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, and perhaps Colorado are the prime areas to get tornadic activity. That doesn't mean they can't form in other places of course. Now during the late spring and Summer, or June and July, the tornado alley sort of shifts from the southern plains to the northern plains. These areas include Colorado, Nebraska, Iowa, Minnesota, Illinois, Wisconsin, North and South Dakota, and maybe a few more states.

Answer 3

Tornado alley includes the states shown here:

http://library.thinkquest.org/03oct/0175...

This area sees more tornadoes than any other because of the air masses that often collide here when either warm, moist gulf air masses or hot, arid desert air masses collide with cooler Canadian air masses from the north. This collision results in a lot of turbulence which leads to the formation of severe thunderstorms and tornadoes.

Answer 4

idk, theres never a tornado in sight where i live,