Serious Storms

Tornadoes and hurricanes are cyclones. That’s a storm of spinning winds. Tornadoes and hurricanes are powerful, and they can be dangerous!

A tornado is a spinning funnel of wind. It makes a roaring noise. Tornadoes form over land. Most come from giant thunderstorms called supercells. They can stretch from the sky to the ground.

Tornadoes are nature’s most powerful storms. The wind speeds in tornadoes can be 300 miles an hour. A tornado can topple houses and send cars flying through the air.

Hurricanes are tropical storms. They form over warm ocean water. Sometimes, they reach land. Heavy rains from hurricanes can cause flooding. The winds can cause damage. The center of a hurricane is called the eye.

A hurricane is seen from above. Hurricanes are a type of tropical cyclone. They form over the ocean.

The eye of a hurricane is calm. It’s possible to fly an airplane into a hurricane’s eye. The ride is a little bumpy. But some weather scientists do it to get helpful data about these storms.