9781422286111

12

Lower Plains: Kansas, Nebraska

Kansas is known for its tornadoes, which occur when rapidly swirling winds in a thunderstorm form a funnel cloud that can cause great damage wherever it touches down. The winds of a torna- do can exceed 300 mph (483 kph). According to the National Weather Service, the annual number of tornadoes in Kansas has been increasing since the late 1980s. The most tornadoes occurred in 2008, when more than 180 of these powerful storms ravaged the Sunflower State.

where cold air from the north of the continent meets warm air from the south. The state is also vulnerable to periodic droughts and flooding.

storms, blizzards, and windstorms— not to mention the tornadoes made famous by The Wizard of Oz . This is because of its location on open plains