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Name: Joey
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Question:
Why do tornadoes usually occur over flat land?

Replies:
Joey,

The weather conditions that are right for thunderstorms to develop usually occur over flat land, particularly in the plains states east of the Rocky Mountains. These conditions include a combination of strong heating of the ground by solar radiation, existence of horizontal and/or vertical wind shear (differences in speed and direction of the wind horizontally or at different altitudes, which can result from a frontal system, jet stream, etc.), horizontal differences in dew point, etc. Tornadoes usually develop from vortices that occur in a thunderstorm. Vortices are normally produced by vertical and/or horizontal wind shear.

David R. Cook
Meteorologist
Climate Research Section
Environmental Science Division
Argonne National Laboratory

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