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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
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.
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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.