tornados
Destructive spinning winds
Tornados is a plural of tornado, a violently rotating column of air extending from a thunderstorm to the ground.
Tornadoes form most frequently in the central United States, where warm and cold air masses collide: Tornados touched down across three counties.
The spelling tornadoes is more common, but both are standard.
Cone directing flow
- supercellRotating severe thunderstorm
- vortexRotating fluid column
- cycloneRotating low-pressure storm system
- twisterRotating destructive windstorm
mesocyclone · rotation · updraft · downdraft · windshear · thunderstorm · debris · hail
Kansas girl's odyssey
- DorothyClassic feminine given name
- storm chasersPeople pursuing severe weather
- folkloreInherited cultural narratives
- superstitionBaseless belief in omens
Helen Hunt · Bill Paxton · awe · primal fear · respect · humbling · unpredictable
Protected place or structure
- basementSubterranean building level
- cellarUnderground storage room
- warningAlert about danger
- sirenWailing alert device
alert · evacuation · safe room · emergency · preparedness · drill · crouch · underground
Severe widespread destruction
- wreckageDestroyed remains of something
- rubbleBroken building fragments
- flattenedMade smooth or level
- demolishedCompletely destroyed a structure
uprooted · leveled · obliterated · collapsed · shattered · splintered · annihilated · razed
South Central U.S. state
- KansasCentral American plains state
- TexasSecond-largest American state
- NebraskaCentral plains state
- MooreAnglo-Irish family name
Joplin · Tuscaloosa · Bangladesh · Great Plains · Midwest · Florida · Argentina · Australia
Motion rate of air
- intensityStrength or force level
- catastrophicCausing complete destruction
- violentInvolving physical force
- significantHaving notable importance
weak · moderate · strong · incredible · inconceivable · rating scale · structural damage
funnel
Cone directing flow
- supercellRotating severe thunderstorm
- vortexRotating fluid column
- cycloneRotating low-pressure storm system
twister · mesocyclone · rotation · updraft · downdraft · windshear · thunderstorm · debris · hail · waterspout
Wizard of Oz
Kansas girl's odyssey
- DorothyClassic feminine given name
- storm chasersPeople pursuing severe weather
- folkloreInherited cultural narratives
Helen Hunt · Bill Paxton · superstition · awe · primal fear · respect · humbling · unpredictable
shelter
Protected place or structure
siren · alert · evacuation · safe room · emergency · preparedness · drill · crouch · underground · interior room
devastation
Severe widespread destruction
demolished · uprooted · leveled · obliterated · collapsed · shattered · splintered · annihilated · razed · decimated
Oklahoma
South Central U.S. state
Moore · Joplin · Tuscaloosa · Bangladesh · Great Plains · Midwest · Florida · Argentina · Australia · flatlands
wind speed
Motion rate of air
- intensityStrength or force level
- catastrophicCausing complete destruction
- violentInvolving physical force
significant · weak · moderate · strong · incredible · inconceivable · rating scale · structural damage
- fatal hazardsaccidents, drowning, falls, poisoning, overdose
- Climate Changeglobal warming, greenhouse gases, climate change, carbon dioxide, CO2
- climate impactsglobal warming, rising temperatures, rising temps, extreme weather, sea level rise
- Great PlainsGreat Plains, high plains, High Plains, grassland, grasslands
- MissouriGateway Arch, St. Louis, Kansas City, Ozarks, Branson
tornadoscalm
Free from agitation
stillness · clear skies · fair weather · tranquility · serenity
tornadosgentle breezes
Mild, soft winds
zephyrs · safety · shelter · protection · preservation
tornadosstillness
Complete lack of motion
windlessness · stagnant air · becalmed · lull · calm
- tornado warningImminent vortex notification
- tornado shelterProtected area during cyclones
- tornado watchRotating storm conditions possible
- tornado sirenEmergency weather warning device
- tornado seasonPeriod of frequent cyclones
- tornado alleyFunnel-prone geographic zone