The story of Dorothy in the 'Wizard of Oz' being blown "somewhere over the rainbow" is charming, and entertaining, but the reality is somewhat more brutal. Tornadoes are nature's most violent storms. They come from powerful thunderstorms and appear as rotating, funnel-shaped clouds. Tornado winds can reach 300 miles per hour. They cause damage when they touch down on the ground. They can damage an area one mile wide and 50 miles long. Many states in the USA are at some risk, but States in "Tornado Alley" have the highest risk. Tornadoes can form any time of the year, but the season runs from March to August. The ability to predict tornadoes is limited. Usually a few minutes warning is all you can expect in the immediate area, but 'chasers' via TV and Radio stations are often able to warn people in it's path, although with their unpredictable nature, this is a pretty difficult, and dangerous, occupation.

USA - The Great Tri-State Tornado

At 1:0pm on the 18th. March 1925, a F5 tornado started a 219 mile journey of death and destruction, that was to take it through three States in the USA - Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana. The Great Tri-State Tornado as it was to be called, started during the afternoon during a thunderstorm near Ellington in southeast Missouri. It crossed the Mississippi river 75 miles southeast of St. Louis, heading northeast through Illinois, the State that was to bear the brunt of the tornado's ferocity, with four of it's counties: Franklin, Hamilton, Jackson, and White all suffering from the onslaught.. Reaching speeds up to 70 mph and between a quarter to a mile wide, it tore a path of destruction and death through the State. Murphysboro was devastated and over 230 people killed which together with the injured meant that half the population had been directly effected by the tornado. 40 percent of the homes were destroyed, and another 30 percent damaged by the winds and the fires that followed the tornado. In DeSoto, where a third of the town was demolished, the tornado carved a path straight through a school, killing more than thirty students and teachers. In West Frankfort, miners working 500ft below ground suffered a power failure, and coming to the surface, they found a scene of destruction with a 20 percent of the homes and businesses destroyed and 148 of their families and neighbours dead. The town of Parrish was almost completely destroyed and was never rebuilt. All that remains is a few scattered older homes that survived.

When the tornado finally dissipated after 3-5 hours, almost 700 people were dead, four towns were completely destroyed and six severely damaged. 15,000 homes were destroyed, and 2,000 severely damaged. The damages were estimated at $18 million. This was the most devastating and powerful tornado in American history.

27th. May 1896 - In a tornado lasting only 20 minutes, 300 people died, 2,500 injured, property to the value of $12 million.

18th. March 1925 - A tornado ripped a 300m (1000ft) wide swathe through the centre of the city. over 800 people were killed, and 3,000 injured. The tornado accompanied with thunderstorms raced into Illinois, through the towns of Gorham and Murphysboro. of the total of 200 blocks of buildings, only 50 were left standing, leaving huge mounds of rubble, under which 234 people were crushed to death. The storms were to destroy Griffin and princetown in Indiana, before they blew themselves out. But not before 689 people were killed, 2,000 injured, and more than 15,000 made homeless.

11th. April 1965 - An outbreak of 40 tornadoes with an escort of up to 50 thunderstorms, swept through the midwest, killing nearly 300 people and damaging property valued at £200,000,000.

2nd. April 1974 - In an 18 hour period, 148 tornadoes swept through an area extending from Alabama right up to the border with Canada, tearing apart timber-framed homes, hurling railroad cars into the air, and felling hundreds of trees. Over 300 people were killed, including over 20 children in a school playground. 1,300 buildings were destroyed, 12 churches, and 6 schools.

Tornadoes ...
... create Earth's fastest winds, believed to exceed 300 mph.
... usually travel to the northeast.
... occur most frequently in the U.S. between 4 and 6 p.m.
... average 5 to 10 minutes on the ground.
... can stand still or move forward at 70 mph.
... can be up to a mile wide at ground level