What causes Tornado's to spawn inland?

Question

I understand how Hurricanes spawn Tornado's but I am curious what causes them to spawn inland like in Tornado Alley, where there is no possible way for a hurricane to make it that far inland?

This is a serious question, no A -Holes please.

I say that because you would really be surprised some of the rude comments you get on questions such as these. Thanks!

Answer 1

Tornado Alley, as the mid section of the US is sometimes called, has a very unique weather pattern in the world.  It's uniques because you can have that Cold/Cool dry continental air coming from the NW, smacking into the Warm wet Maritime air of the Gulf.  When those two types of air collide --BOOM--you get all kinds of wild weather.  General speaking, the more turbulent the weather, the better chance for Tornadoes  (and really BIG tornadoes).  Although hurricanes can produce a number of tornadoes, they are usually weaker ones, and during an average hurricane season, Tornado Alley will produce far more tornadoes than all the hurricanes combined.

Now, like everything else, it's more complicated.

EDIT: the more complicated part.

In general, there are three things that make up a tornado.

1) Wind Shear--this is where the upper level winds and the lower level winds (the part they we're in) are NOT travelling in the same direction.  The upper level wind is almost always faster, so this shear creates a vortex (a spinning wind).  This vortex, however, is sideways, not up and down.

2)  The Vortex needs something strong to pull it up.  Usually, this is caused by a thunderstorm.  Thunderstorms have some very strong updrafts, and there are usually a lot of thunderstorms associated with cold fronts (ie cold air moving into warm air--very turbulent).

3)  the vortex, being pulled up, needs to be squeezed, causing it to become tighter.  This tightening of the vortex causes the winds to spin faster and faster until, it becomes somewhat self-sustaining and you have a tornado.

Now, I'm sure it's even more complicated than that, but that's as much as I know!

Answer 2

O.K. Tornadoes typically form where there are massive wide open spaces. Very few trees, houses and buildings. That is why they generally form in Oklahoma, Nebraska etc.

Hurricanes do not make it that far inland because over the ocean there is nothing to get in the way to slow it down. Once again when it hits land there are trees, buildings, and houses that naturally slow it down.

However there are tornadoes over the ocean, they just aren't called tornadoes, they are called water spouts, and they are beatiful.

Answer 3

A hurricane doesnt cause all tornadoes to happen.

Tornadoes love warm climates. the cold air hits the warm air causing a tornado to form. (there is more info on that at weather.com)

a hurricane produces tornadoes because its rotating but also because there are bad parts of the hurricane. all it is, is a storm that is rotating.

both love flat land as well.

Answer 4

Any cold dry air mass that comes into contact with a warm humid air mass will offer ideal conditions for a tornado, that is why you see tornadoes in the midwest and not on the coasts.