Why do most powerful, violent tornadoes seem to exclusively be a US phenomenon?

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Like, I’ve never heard of a powerful tornado in, say, the UK, Mexico, Japan, or Australia. Most of the textbook tornadoes seem to happen in areas like Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas. By why is this the case? Why do more countries around the world not experience these kinds of storms?

In: Planetary Science

9 Answers

Anonymous 0 Comments

Tornadoes require specific weather patterns, and that tends to require certain latitudes, which don’t include the places you listed. You also need flat land in huge quantities and a rich source of warm moisture like the Gulf of Mexico. It’s a relatively unusual combination of geography that causes the “Tornado Alley” pattern.

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