<p>This dramatic image shows a tornado touching down in South Dakota out of a supercell thunderstorm, as lightning strikes.</p>
This dramatic image shows a tornado touching down in South Dakota out of a supercell thunderstorm, as lightning strikes.
Photograph by Mike Theiss, Nat Geo Image Collection
Reference
Tornadoes, explained
Learn how these deadly storms form and wreak havoc, and how you can reduce your risk.
ByNational Geographic Staff
Published August 28, 2019
• 6 min read
Also known as twisters, tornadoes are born in thunderstorms and are often accompanied by hail. Giant, persistent thunderstorms called supercells spawn the most destructive tornadoes.
These violent storms occur around the world, but the United States is a major hotspot with about a thousand tornadoes every year.
"Tornado Alley," a region that includes the area in the eastern state of South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, northern Texas, and eastern Colorado, is often home to the most powerful and destructive of these storms. U.S. tornadoes cause 80 deaths and more than 1,500 injuries per year.
A tornado is a violently rotating column of air that extends from a thunderstorm to the ground. It's often portended by a dark,
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