Tornado outbreak and floods of April 2–7, 2025

High school (ages 12+)
Environment & Earth

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/tornado-outbreak-of-april-1-3--2025

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the event chronology?April 2–7, 2025
2. What is the geographic scope?Primarily the Southern and Midwestern United States
3. What caused the super storms in April 2025?A slow-moving low‑pressure trough stayed over the central U.S., meeting a strong stationary front. Moist air from the Gulf of Mexico mixed with cooler air, creating big storms and tornadoes.
4. How many tornadoes happened during the April 2025 storms?There were 157 confirmed tornadoes, many of them very strong, like the EF3 tornadoes in Arkansas, Tennessee, and Mississippi.

Synoptic-Scale Weather System: Large-scale weather patterns that cover vast areas, influencing regional weather conditions over extended periods.
Atmospheric Instability: A condition where the atmosphere is prone to rising air parcels, which can fuel the development of thunderstorms.
Vertical Wind Shear: A change in wind speed and/or direction with height in the atmosphere, crucial for the organization and longevity of supercells.
Mesocyclone: A rotating column of air within a supercell thunderstorm, which is the precursor to tornado formation.