Tornadoes

A tornado churns up dust at dusk near Traer, Iowa.

How and Why Do Violent Tornadoes Form?

Scientists hope new technology and computing power will help them understand destructive twisters

Firefighters have observed fire whirls on the north side of the York Fire.

Spinning 'Fire Whirls' Tear Through the Mojave Desert Amid California's Largest Wildfire This Year

The dangerous columns of fire can rapidly change direction and spread embers over long distances

On average, December has about 24 twisters in the United States per year. However, tornados occurring as far north as Illinois and Kentucky are highly uncommon for early winter.  

At Least 100 Feared Dead After December Twisters Slam Midwestern and Southern States

The rare winter event was a result of abnormal weather patterns exacerbated by La Niña and global warming

Researchers with the Kivi Kuaka project are tagging a variety of Pacific birds, hoping they will reveal differences in their capacity to detect and respond to dangerous storms and tsunamis.

Can Birds Tip Us Off to Natural Disasters?

Researchers think birds can hear hurricanes and tsunamis—a sense they’re hoping to tap into to develop a bird-based early warning system

Los Angeles County is the most at risk for climate-related disasters out of 3,000 counties analyzed in the United States.

Los Angeles Rated Most Susceptible to Natural Disasters, According to FEMA Data

The report explains how damaging hypothetical, extreme weather scenarios would be and does not represent how frequently devastation actually occurs

First responders walk through a neighborhood in Beauregard, Alabama.

Deadliest Tornado Outbreak in Six Years Hits the Southeast

So far, 23 people are confirmed dead in Lee County, Alabama, after Sunday's tornadoes

The Science Behind California's "Fire Tornado"

The spinning mass of smoke filmed near Redding, California, is much taller, wider and lasted longer than average fire whirls

The tornado that touched down near El Reno, Oklahoma plowed through the region. The violent winds and subsequent floods injured 155 and killed 20 people, including the first known storm chasers to die in the twister's swirling path.

How a Legendary Storm Chaser Changed the Face of Tornado Science

In 2013, Tim Samaras died in one of the epic storms he'd spent decades chasing. A new book chronicles his harrowing last days

The wreckage of a Southern Airways DC-9 sits in the front yard of a home facing the road that the plane attempted an emergency landing on in New Hope, Ga., April 5, 1977. The pilot's attempt to save himself and his passengers occurred after the plane's engines failed during a heavy thunderstorm.

What Happened When a Southern Airways Flight 242 Crashed in Sadie Burkhalter’s Front Yard

Her home became a makeshift hospital when she looked out her front door to a fiery inferno

The Most Powerful Tornado Recorded on Earth

For Oklahoma City and its surrounding suburbs, May 3, 1999 began like any other spring day

This Family Hid From a 300 MPH Tornado in a Water Pipe

A family caught in the midst of an epic tornado seek refuge in a nearby drainage pipe

Today, the Mayo Clinic is a well-known research hospital.

One of the World’s Most Famous Hospitals Was Originally a Makeshift Tornado Relief Clinic

You could say the first Mayo Clinic was a dance hall that had been converted into a makeshift field hospital

The Sayler Park tornado which struck the Cincinnati area as part of the "Super Outbreak" was a category F5 storm on the Fujita scale, the highest possible rating on the scale.

How 148 Tornadoes in One Day in 1974 Changed Emergency Preparedness

The “super outbreak” flattened towns and killed and injured thousands, all with little warning and in the space of 24 hours

Check Out the Most Detailed Tornado Simulation So Far

A supercomputer created a simulation of the F5 "El Reno" tornado which devastated part of Oklahoma in 2011

Fire tornadoes, or fire devils, often arise during wildfires.

Hypnotize Yourself With a Slow-Motion Fire Tornado

So hot, it's cool

A close-range view of a landspout tornado in western Kansas, 2008.

Why Forecasters Were Once Banned From Using the Word “Tornado”

Before meteorologists developed reliable prediction techniques, the t-word was off the table

This F3 twister in Kansas was part of a mini-outbreak of tornadoes in 2004.

Tornadoes Are Now Ganging Up in the United States

Twisters are not increasing in numbers but they are clustering more often, a bizarre pattern that has meteorologists stumped

The Devastation in Moore, Oklahoma, One Year Later

These side-by-side satellite photos show how Moore, Okla., is rebuilding

Explore Every Tornado Across the United States Since 1980 Through This Interactive Map

See why they call it Tornado Alley, but don't be fooled into thinking a tornado can't happen in your own backyard

Tornado

Could Giant Walls Prevent Tornadoes?

The idea is to build three walls, 1,000 feet high and 150 feet wide, running east to west across the country's middle

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