Atmosphere Journal Entry
Atmosphere Journal Entry
Killer Twister Hits Mississippi (April 27, 2010)
The path of a tornado is unpredictable and sometimes deadly. NOAA.
A deadly tornado ripped across Mississippi, killing twelve people and injuring dozens of others. The twister cut a 150-mile long path of destruction nearly a mile wide from the western part of the state northeast to the Alabama border. It's the worst natural disaster to hit the state since Hurricane Katrina in 2005. The tornado was one of several spawned by a powerful storm system that battered states from Missouri to Florida.
Tornadoes often result from collisions of two huge air masses. In the United States, cold, dry air from Canada or the Rockies slams into warm, humid air rising from the Gulf of Mexico. The collision can create a funnel cloud of violent winds whipping around an area of extremely low barometric pressure. The cloud becomes a tornado when it touches the ground.
The United States gets struck with more tornadoes than anywhere else on the planet. Most occur in the spring and summer months. They are most common in the central and southern parts of the country. About 800 tornadoes touch down in the U.S. every year, killing an average of 80 people and injuring 1,500 others. The most violent twisters have wind speeds of over 250 mph (400 km/h).
