Tornado Alley

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Tornado Alley

• Eric Angat
• Environmental Science

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Why is it called "GOES"?

• G-O-E-S is an acronym that stands for
• Geostationary Operational Environmental
• Satellite.

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National Aeronautics and Space Administration
(NASA)
National Severe Storms Laboratory ( NSSL)
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Geostationary Orbit is where a satellite revolves
around the Earth at a speed which matches the
Earth's rotation, so as to remain above the same
location and appear stationary.
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Notebook Activity

• Open your notebook on a blank page. Write the
  title of the lesson and the date. The title of
  the lesson is Tornado Alley.
• Copy the five questions ( found on the next
  slide) and answer them.
• Draw the Map of the United States with the
  Tornado Alley marked ( found on the 5th slide).

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Tornado Alley

1. What is the Tornado Alley?
2. What are the states that are frequently visited
   by tornadoes?
3. Why are tornadoes frequent in those states?
4. Name the months when tornadoes are most frequent.
5. What year did the United States experience the
   most EF3-EF5 tornadoes? EF means Enhanced Fujita
   Scale (2007).

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Tornado Alley
an area of the Great Plains centered on eastern
Kansas and Oklahoma and including parts of the
surrounding states, where tornadoes are frequent.
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• According to the storm events database of the
  National Climatic Data Center, Texas reports more
  tornadoes than any other state, though this
  state's relatively large land area should be
  taken into account. Kansas and Oklahoma are
  second and third, respectively, for sheer number
  of tornadoes reported, but report more of them
  per unit of land area than does Texas. However,
  the density of tornado occurrences in northern
  Texas is comparable to that of Oklahoma and
  Kansas. Florida also reports a high number and
  density of tornado occurrences, though only
  rarely do tornadoes there approach the strength
  of those that sometimes strike the southern
  plains.

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Why Does Tornado Alley Get So Many
Tornadoes?Conditions in tornado alley are
favorable for tornado formation. During the
summer, the plains of Middle America get very hot
(creating updrafts) and there are many
thunderstorms. Tornadoes form during
thunderstorms, when unstable hot air near the
ground rises and meets the cooler air above in
the thunder clouds. Tornadoes can form at any
time of the year, but most of them form from
March to August (in the Northern Hemisphere).
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Why should you not go under a tree during a
thunderstorm?
Because lightning hits the tallest object.
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Why is it called "GOES"?

• G-O-E-S is an acronym that stands for
• Geostationary Operational Environmental
• Satellite.

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