How come tornadoes occur most frequently on the north american continent?
oddly enough, the only tornado i’ve ever seen was in Germany, but it is a well known fact that the vast majority of tornadoes form on the north american continent (1000 or so every year, more or less? must be something like that). Why is that?
There is cold Canadian air to the north, and warm, moist air from the Gulf Of Mexico. These two air masses meet, and thunderstorms develop. Many storms occur along frontal boundaries. Hot and dry air masses from the southwest can also meet with warm, humid air from the Gulf of Mexico. This is called a dryline. Thunderstorms form here too, and can occasionally produce tornadoes.
A cold front contains cold air, and the cooler air moves into an area with warm, moist air. The cold air allows the warm, moist air to rise, which is called convection. This can cause air to rise quickly, creating thunderstorms. Cooler air aloft is factor for thunderstorm formation.
Rotating thunderstorms, called supercells, are the type of thunderstorm that produces most tornadoes. The updraft of the storm rotates, which cause funnel clouds to form. Once the funnel cloud reaches the ground, it is called a tornado.
Basically it is because of conflicting air masses and the topography of the United States. Cold drier air from the north meets up with moist humid air from the Gulf of Mexico, which causes thunderstorms, sometimes producing tornadoes, to form. The Gulf of Mexico has a strong influence on the weather, esp in the surrounding Gulf states.
LCD Soundsystem – North American Scum