Office of Emergency Management

Tornado Facts

• The United States witness about 100,000 thunderstorms annually, which produce about 1,000 tornadoes.
• Tornadoes can be made up of numerous mini-funnels.
• About 42 people are killed annually due to tornadoes.

Key Points

The best protection during a tornado is an interior room on the lowest level of a building - better yet, a basement or storm cellar if they are available.  Tornadoes have incredible speed. Sometimes wind velocity reaches 300 miles an hour, far more than a Category Five hurricane. The winds can uproot trees and structures and turn harmless objects into deadly projectiles. All this can happen in seconds. Mobile homes are particularly vulnerable to tornadoes.

The leading causes of deaths in a tornado are from building collapses, flying debris and the effects of trying to outrun the tornado by car.

Tornadoes are most destructive when they touch ground. While tornadoes can touch ground many times during their life span, each incident will usually last no more than twenty minutes.

Tornado Danger Signs to look for
Before the Tornado
After the Tornado has hit