Download Tornadoes are whirling columns of air, with winds that spin

Name __________________
I.S. 93
Date ________________
Science
BrainPop: Tornado
1) Tornadoes are ________________ columns of air, with winds
that spin hundreds of kilometers per hour. They’re among the
most destructive forms of weather on earth.
2) Tornadoes usually occur during __________________. It’ll
usually look like it’s descending from the bottom of a big
______________________
3) The nastier the storm, the _____________ the chance of a
strong tornado forming, and the most dangerous tornadoes come from especially violent thunderstorms
called _________________.
4) They begin forming as winds moving in _____________ directions. When this happens the difference
in wind _________ and _________ can create a horizontal spinning effect in the lower atmosphere.
5) As the thunderstorm forms, warm, humid air begins rising upward. The air rising into the clouds is
called an _____________.
6) It can _________the horizontal tube of spinning air into a vertical tube of spinning air.
7) This area of ____________, or mesocyclone, can be anywhere from 2 to 10 kilometers wide. As it
spins, it keeps picking up speed and intensity, _____________ the storm.
8) As the warm air rises, the cooler, denser air at the back of the storm starts __________________.
9) This strong downdraft pulls part of the area of rotation toward the ______________. When it touches
_________, you’ve got a tornado.
10) The dust and debris it picks up as it moves give it a ___________color.
11) Tornadoes come in all shapes and sizes- anywhere from a few meters to several kilometers across, and
the winds inside them range from ______ to _____ kph.
12) Most tornadoes don’t last longer than ________ minutes.