Tornado outbreak

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

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 record-breaking event?The 2011 Super Outbreak, with 362 tornadoes, remains the largest on record
2. What is the contributing atmospheric factors?Requires a confluence of instability, moisture, lift, and significant vertical wind shear
3. When do tornado outbreaks most often happen in the U.S.?They most often happen from March to June, especially in the Great Plains, Midwest, and Southeast, a place called Tornado Alley.
4. How many tornadoes are needed for an outbreak?Usually at least six to ten tornadoes that come from the same storm system, and they must happen within about 24 hours.

Synoptic Scale: Weather phenomena occurring over large geographical areas, typically thousands of kilometers, and lasting for days.
Supercell: A long-lived, rotating thunderstorm characterized by a deep, persistently rotating updraft (mesocyclone), capable of producing severe weather, including strong tornadoes.
Vertical Wind Shear: A change in wind speed and/or direction with increasing height in the atmosphere, a critical ingredient for supercell and tornado formation.
Tornado Outbreak Sequence: A series of consecutive days, or nearly consecutive days, during which tornado outbreaks occur.