Tornado Learning Corner (with activities)

Now that we have escaped the risk of freezing to death I think it is time to turn our attention to other weather-related ways that we can die, the best of course being the tornado. You won't have the moments of the sublime that a lengthy demise in a snowbank at 40 below can afford, but through death by tornado can you be killed by small flying pieces of your own home, or better yet, you can be swept off the face of the earth, never to be found, or possibly be rained down in some field miles away. In any case your death will be strange, gruesome, or mysterious. Unfortunately here in Chicago we are under almost no risk of such an exciting death. I have just researched tornado occurences in Cook county and frankly there aren't many, and they are boring. The last recorded tornado in Cook county occured in 1991, and the last death by tornado was in 1976.

But don't despair! You can make a tornado in your own apartment with a hotplate and some cardboard!
If that was too much for you here is a stupid thing you can click on to make a tornado right now.
And if you are interested in the effects of tornadoes on chicken feathers go here.
If you want to know why there are so few tornadoes in metropolitan areas...I don't know. I was originally going to find out but I was distracted by the cardboard and the chickens, and now it is too late and I should be in bed. Sorry, I will find out next time.