While other countries have natural boundaries along their shoreline, the United States does not. These boundaries may be mountains that slow the dangerous storms down and keep them from coming ashore. The United States is an open target for tornadoes and hurricanes because it spans a large area and has no natural boundaries to stop the storms from entering. That is just one reason why the U.S. is a target for tornado and hurricane activity.
Hurricane season begins June first and ends November thirtieth. Hurricanes bring many problems with them, and some of these problems include torrential rains, storm surges and high winds. Tropical wind patterns over the equator lead these storms to the U.S. When warm temperatures over the Gulf of Mexico meet with cold temperatures it causes these storms to brew up. The United States has many regions that have moist environments, and that is another reason.
Storms like tornadoes and hurricanes are becoming more and more common with the severe change in climate, or global warming, as it is often called. Gulf Coast states are usually the ones to experience high hurricane activity during the season, and it is due to the warm air and high humidity over the Gulf. The East Coast of the United States is also a target for hurricanes because the eastern seaboard has a system of low pressure and the strong westerly winds are prevented from pushing the storm out to sea.
A tornado is a rotating volume of air that spins violently, and many times tornadoes come with hurricanes. Severe weather can happen anywhere on Earth, but it is the United States that gets more severe storms than any other place on Earth. The central plains are flat and located between two sets of mountains, and this causes cold polar air to clash with warm, moist air. This will certainly lead to tornado activity. The United States spans an area of 3.5 million square miles. That provides a major target for storms because the country is so large.
Thousands of people prepare for evacuation every year as government officials call states of emergency. These are severe storms that cause major damage to homes, land, businesses, crops and more. The economy is also hurt because of the major repairs to bridges, roads, businesses and homes. Major flooding causes many people to drown. High winds bring down oaks and pine trees, and power-lines come down, as well, leaving millions to be without power for weeks at a time.
