The Frederick Carder Pre-K class was featured in this week’s Weather Wisdom. Olivia Marlette asked, “Where do tornadoes come from?”

Air masses and wind play a big role in producing tornadoes. Cold dry air mixes with warm humid air. When these air masses collide, it creates a lift in the atmosphere. Winds then come into play, something meteorologists refer to as wind shear- winds rotating and increasing speed with height. This can create a spinning horizontal column of air. A downdraft from a thunderstorm will cool that column of air down to the ground producing the tornado.

Other ingredients come into play when it comes to tornado formation. You can learn more by clicking here.