Tornados have been spotted on every continent except Antarctica, but tornado alley has far more twisters than other spots on the globe.
Connect Images/Jason Persoff Stormdoctor/Getty Images
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Connect Images/Jason Persoff Stormdoctor/Getty Images
Tornados have been spotted on every continent except Antarctica, but tornado alley has far more twisters than other spots on the globe.
Connect Images/Jason Persoff Stormdoctor/Getty Images
Each year, the United States has about 1,200 tornadoes. Many of them happen in tornado alley, a very broad swath of the U.S. that shifts seasonally. This area gets at least ten times more tornadoes than the rest of the world. Science writer Sushmita Pathak says that huge difference can ultimately be chalked up to one word: geography. But there’s a slice of South America with similar geographical features that gets comparatively fewer tornadoes, so what gives? Sushmita wades into the research weeds with guest host Berly McCoy, one of Short Wave‘s producers.
Read Pathak’s full article on tornadoes that she wrote for the publication Eos.
Have other science weather stories you think we should cover on the show? Let us know by emailing shortwave@npr.org!
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This episode was produced by Berly McCoy and edited by Rebecca Ramirez and Geoff Brumfiel. Tyler Jones checked the facts. Kwesi Lee was the audio engineer.
