What is Tornado Valley?

According to  Senior Meteorologist Dan Kottlowski, “Tornado Alley is an area of the US where there is a high potential for tornado development.”

“This area encompasses much of northern Texas northward through Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri and parts of Louisiana, Iowa, Nebraska and eastern Colorado,” he noted.

This region is most likely to experience tornadoes due to the contrasting air masses which frequently collide, producing strong thunderstorms that can lead to tornado development.

What are supercells?

Supercells, which are spinning thunderstorms with a well-defined radar circulation termed a mesocyclone, produce the most powerful and fatal tornadoes, per .

These can also bring hail, strong non-tornadic winds, abnormally frequent lightning, and flash floods.

Tornado forecasting

According to , doppler radar, satellites, weather balloons, and computer modeling are used by meteorologists at the United States National Weather Service to monitor the sky for severe storms and tornadic activity.

Wind speeds are measured using Doppler radars, which also pinpoint zones of rotation within thunderstorms.

Tornado warning times have increased from less than five minutes in the 1980s to an average of 13 minutes by the late 2000s, thanks to the deployment of Doppler radar.

What kind of damage do tornadoes do?

Tornadoes in the United States do roughly $400million in damage each year and kill about 70 people on average, per .

Homes and businesses are torn apart by extremely powerful winds. Winds may also rip the bark off trees, collapse bridges, topple trains, send automobiles and trucks flying, and suck all the water out of a riverbed.

People are occasionally killed or injured by high winds that roll them along the ground or drop them from unsafe heights.

The majority of tornado casualties, however, are hit by flying debris such as roofing tiles, shattered glass, doors, and metal rods, National Geographic reports.

Keep eyes open for rotating thunderstorms

Tornado activity is best predicted by rotating thunderstorms, according to .

On radar, these are well-defined thunderstorms with hail, strong gusts, lightning, and flash floods.

When do tornadoes happen?

They can strike fast and without warning, according to .

Tropical storms and hurricanes may bring tornadoes with them when they approach land.

In the south, tornado season lasts from March to May, whereas in the north, it lasts from late spring to early summer.

Tornadoes are most likely to strike between the hours of 3pm and 9pm, although they can strike at any moment.

How do tornadoes move?

Tornadoes typically migrate from southwest to northeast, although they can travel in any direction.

Tornado watch V. tornado warning

While similar in nature, tornado watches and warnings have different levels of severity.

A tornado watch is typically issued hours in advance of an actual tornado. It means that weather conditions are favorable for a tornado to form, but one hasn’t been spotted yet.

Meanwhile, a tornado warning is issued by local NOAA National Weather Service Forecast Office meteorologists in an area where a tornado has been spotted.

While watches can cover multiple states or larger areas, a warning is issued for a smaller area of land.

Tornado warning explained, continued

When one is made aware of a tornado warning, one should seek shelter immediately.

A tornado warning is more serious as it signals that a tornado is already present.

When a tornado warning is issued one should consider it to be worse than a tornado watch because it means the danger of a tornado is already present.

Tornado warning explained

A tornado warning is issued by local NOAA National Weather Service Forecast Office meteorologists in an area where a tornado has been spotted.

Tornado warnings cover smaller areas, as they are only implemented in the actual case of severe weather.

A tornado warning indicates serious danger for those who are in the path of the said tornado.

Tornado watch explained

A tornado watch is typically issued hours in advance of an actual tornado.

It means that weather conditions are favorable for a tornado to form, but one hasn't been spotted yet.

The NOAA Storm Prediction Center issues a tornado watch during times when the weather conditions show a possibility of severe weather.

A tornado watch can cover part of a state or several states, depending on the severity of the weather.

One should be prepared to act while a watch is in progress, but it doesn't always mean severe weather is coming.

What is a tornado alert?

According to the  tornado sirens are usually sounded when something considered to be "life-threatening" is happening.

The sirens are typically an outdoor sound that is used to alert citizens that something dangerous is approaching.

Despite varying from state to state, the most common tones produced by tornado sirens in the United States are "alert" (steady) and "attack" (wail).

The alert sirens are typically activated by city or county officials, usually police or fire department or emergency management personnel. 

When was the worst US tornado?

On March 18, 1925, the deadliest single tornado in US history occurred.

Called the Tri-State Tornado of March 18, 1925, the tornado killed 695 people in three states.

11 were killed in Missouri, 613 in Illinois, and 71 in Indiana.

When is tornado season?

Tornado season refers to the time of the year when the US sees the most tornadoes.

According to the , tornado season hits around early spring near the Gulf Coast.

For the southern plains – Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas – tornado season peaks around May and June.

In the northern Plains and upper Midwest – including North and South Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa, Minnesota, and their surrounding areas – tornado season falls around June and July.

Tornadoes can occur at any time of the year, however.

EF-2 tornado touched down in Kansas overnight

An EF-2 tornado touched down overnight in northeast Jackson County, near Buckner, Missouri, according to the National Weather Service, per .

The tornado developed to a maximum width of 200 yards and went nine miles.

According to the weather service, it generated winds of up to 115 mph.

This is the second tornado to hit the Kansas City metro area in the last 24 hours.

The 'Midwestern urge'

Some people have taken to Twitter to joke about how they want to stand on their porches to see the tornadoes after a warning is issued.

One person wrote: "The Midwestern urge to stand on your porch when you hear tornado sirens going off."

Someone else wrote: "My phone: 'tornado spotted in your area. Take shelter.'

"Me: *walks onto front porch to look for tornado*

When do tornadoes occur?

Tornadoes can strike at any time of year, but they are more likely in the Gulf of Mexico states during a specific season that begins in early spring, per .

The season follows the jet stream, which means that as it moves north, tornado activity increases.

Tornadoes are more common in May than any other month, but April's twisters might be more dangerous.

They are more prevalent later in the summer in the north.

Tornadoes can strike at any time of day or night, although most occur in the late afternoon. By this time, the sun has sufficiently warmed the land and atmosphere to cause thunderstorms.

Storms in the DC area

During the Wednesday evening commute, scattered storms delivered heavy downpours and strong gusts to the DC region, according to WTOP.

At 9pm, a tornado watch for sections of Howard and Baltimore counties in Maryland was lifted.

The National Weather Service previously issued a flash flood warning for sections of central Maryland until 9.45pm.

'Pls reschedule'

Fans ask Halsey to reschedule her concert due to the storm in the area.

Halsey fans huddle up in Maryland

Despite the storm and tornado warnings, Halsey fans are huddled up with rain ponchos as they wait for her concert to begin.

One user shared a video of water pouring down the roof of the venue.

People take precautions

A Twitter user said that they moved their car to higher ground in order to "not lose this one to flooding."

Halsey fans say that they had to 'hide in bathrooms'

While waiting for the Halsey concert to begin in Maryland, fans had to hide in bathrooms to escape the flooding, according to one user who posted a video of the experience.

Tornado touches down in South Nebraska

A tornado was confirmed by the National Weather Service (NWS) near the community of Ruskin, which lies southeast of Hastings, per .

The EF-0 tornado, according to the NWS office in Hastings, reached speeds of up to 85 miles per hour on Tuesday.

According to the NWS damage report, the tornado originated northwest of the settlement and traveled southeast for about 10 miles.

'It would have been SO unsafe'

In a quoted retweet to an angry fan, who has now deleted their tweet, Halsey apologized for the concert cancelation.

She wrote: "A lot of things were out of my control tonight but I promise everything I COULD choose, I chose your safety."

Halsey's statement

In a tweet, Halsey wrote about her disappointment and sadness regarding her Maryland concert cancelation.

She wrote: "right now I’m heartbroken and panicked and I just want to know when/that you all get home safely. I love you guys more than anything."