Severe Weather for the Girlies
- Mia Meltzer
- Apr 9
- 4 min read
By: Sophia Johnette
With tornado season coming up, here’s an easy tornado debrief for the girlies.
What is a tornado? I’m glad you asked because not everyone knows. We all know what they look like, but how do they act?
Tornadoes are rotating columns of air—rotating violently (not very demure). These storms extend from a thunderstorm. But not just any thunderstorm—something scientists call a supercell. A supercell is a rotating thunderstorm that is capable of creating a tornado
Nature’s Cookbook (2025 Edition)
Ingredients for Creating a Tornado:
Thunderstorm (really only landspouts or waterspouts—which are weak tornadoes—can form without a thunderstorm)
Unstable Air
This basically means that you have winds blowing at different altitudes, going in different directions and/or at different speeds
This is called wind shear (where there’s a change in wind speed/direction with height), which firstly creates a large thunderstorm.
We can’t talk more about the ingredients without talking about what’s going on in the thundercloud. So in this big thundercloud, warm/humid air rises while cool air falls.
These conditions result in spinning air currents going on inside the thundercloud, starting out horizontal but can turn vertical, dropping down out of the cloud. When this happens and it touches the ground, the tornado is created.
Even though we know some conditions that make a tornado more likely, we will never be able to know when, where, or how strong a tornado will be.
Spotting a Tornado
The Wall Cloud
This is where the strongest updraft is, and is usually where the tornado will develop.
*These are commonly mistaken for shelf clouds (shelf clouds usually have an appearance of tsunami waves. All a shelf cloud means is that there’s a solid line of storms, typically speaking).
Rear Flank Downdraft (RFD)
The RFD is a key part of the formation of a tornado. The RFD is usually dry and warm, and this causes a clear slot where the clouds clear out. This usually takes on the shape of a horseshoe.
Rotating Funnel Shaped Cloud
In simple terms, it’s a cone-shaped cloud that starts from the base of the cloud, moving towards the ground. Could be confused with a scud cloud, but an easy way to tell the difference is if it is rotating. If it rotates, it’s not a scud cloud.
It’s important to note that tornadoes come in varying shapes, such as:
Other Signs a Tornado is Coming
A dark, greenish sky (thought it is not always a indicator)
Hail
Heavy rain
Cloud of debris
Tornados Heart the USA (a little too much)
In the US, we get about 1,200 tornadoes every year. We’re not the only nation that gets them, however. Australia, Europe, Africa, Asia, and South America get them. Although, these areas report about twenty annually, so we’re like the It Girl of tornadic locations.
Tornado Alley
As a Kinda-Midwest girlie, the idea of tornado alley has always scared me. Tornado Alley is a nickname used to describe an area in the USA with a high concentration of tornadic experiences.
However, it’s important to note that tornadoes happen outside of this area too (every state has had at least one tornado in its history). And it’s even more important to remember that this Area is misleading as it can shift.
Warning & Watch
A tornado watch can cover parts of a state or numerous states, and it’s a signal for people to watch out and get ready for severe weather.
A tornado warning is where a tornado has been either spotted in real life or shown on the radar. When you get this, you must act immediately. You may only have minutes to get to safety.
Safety Tips
This guide by the National Weather Service is much more thorough than what I’ll give you, and I definitely recommend giving that a look, but here’s a brief safety guide for two different scenarios.
Scenario One: Outside (if you absolutely cannot find a place indoors, like if you’re on the highway)
Avoid tree surrounded areas
Lie down in a flat ditch or on the lowest part of the ground you can find
Keep your head down and cover your head
Avoid vehicles (tornadoes can pick them up and throw them down at random)
If you are on the highway, never take shelter under an overpass. It’s one of the worst places to take shelter and puts you at a greater risk of being seriously injured or killed.
In an overpass…the winds that flow under the overpass can easily carry you out, throwing you far away. Not only that, flying debris could easily reach you in this area. I know they did it on Twisters 2 and it worked out for Kate, but also remember what happened to her friends and boyfriend. Just saying….
Scenario Two: Inside (the ideal place to take shelter)
Get away from glass windows/doors
Get to the innermost part of the building you’re in, preferably on the lowest floor possible
Protect your head from flying debris or collapsing architecture
Crouch down as low as you can
Do not stay in mobile homes (or cars)
And always remember “DUCK”, an acronym listed by the National Weather Service (this guide also has lightning and flood safety tips, and it’s important to look at this).
D own to the lowest level
U nder something sturdy
C over your head
K eep in the shelter until the storm has passed
Knowledge has the power to save lives. And let’s be honest, sometimes “science communication” isn’t really understandable for the everyday person. I hope my guide was easy to understand and helpful to read.
If you read this and felt like you’ve just “doomscrolled” for an hour (same), check out this article to get back your inspiration and motivation. Or if you’re like me and feel the urge to watch tornado documentaries for the rest of the day (ruining your sleep schedule), let’s start tomorrow off right with this article on making everyday a good day.
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