What Conditions Do Meteorologists Look for When Trying to Identify the Possibility of a Tornado?

Aboveground Rotation

• Radar may detect aboveground rotation inside a massive storm. When this happens, forecasters issue tornado warnings that forecast an impending tornado. Aboveground circulation is a valid indicator of tornado development; however, not much of a warning for impending tornadoes is provided. An advance prediction can only be given within 10 minutes of an aboveground rotational observation.

Temperature

• Tornadoes often occur when warm air gets pushed upward from a mass of opposing cold air. This updraft creates a mesocyclone, which is a mass of rotating air. Supercell thunderstorms push from left to right because of the direction of the earth's rotation and often travel quickly. The mass of air touches the ground as a tornado.

Humidity

• The water content of the air plays an important role in predicting tornadoes. Air passing along the waters of the Gulf of Mexico collect and condense in the atmosphere. A mass of humid air is created, which moves north, into the western Plains. This collides with the dry air of Canada and produces massive storms, which sometimes spawn tornadoes.

Topography

• Although tornadoes can form just about anywhere, certain topographical conditions exist that make them favorable to development. Swaths of flat land, for example, create a condition in which tornadoes can develop. Many of the tornadoes in the United States happen in a place called Tornado Alley. It is a flat plain in the Midwest that includes the states of Texas, Kansas, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, Arkansas and Colorado. Landmasses such as mountains do not infringe upon the movement of on ground rotation and provide the perfect condition for tornadoes to develop.