Do tornadoes only occur in the US?

Question

It seems like it. Why?

Can or do? What is the relative incidence?

Answer 1

I have heard that they occur elsewhere, but it is quite rare. Only the US has the combination of a nearby reservoir of warm moist air (Gulf of Mexico) and a source of very dry air capable of supporting large temperature gradients (flow over the Rocky Mountains).

Answer 2

No they can occur anywhere: here is how they occur

There are several steps in the formation of a tornado. The first step is for a strong thunderstorm accompanied with gigantic thunderhead clouds to form. These thunderheads are often shaped like anvils and are strong indicators that there is a lot of energy in the atmosphere and if the dynamics are there, severe weather may not be far off. If enough rotation occurs and the system is strong enough, the storm may drop a wall cloud. A wall cloud, or pedestal cloud, is a low-hanging sinister looking cloud that drops down from the thunderstorm. Of course the final stage of a tornado which is the presence of funnel descending down to the ground. This is the point where the storm is at its strongest. Once a tornado is on the ground, they typically only stay for a few minutes, though some very strong tornadoes remain on the ground for considerably longer.

So if the clouds have enough energy and the shear winds occur precisely, a tornado can form anywhere.

Answer 3

They occur in other places. I think the geography of the US, with cold air from the north colliding with hot humid air from the Gulf over flat land in the Mid West is ideal for the formation of tornadoes. Also the fact that there are quite a few towns scattered about mean that tornadoes are noticed and do damage.

Answer 4

No. American culture has popularised the world. Even to the extent that when they a natural disaster hits the US the whole world is effected by it. Tornadoes can occur anywhere in the world.

Answer 5

the USA is not the only country in the world that has weather ,given theconditionsthey can occur anywhere,

and conditions are changing ,already unusualweather in happening in many places .

we just had 32 earth tremors in a place where there never was one before ,here in Mexico
the strongest 2 were 6 on the righter scale.

Answer 6

Of couse not... Tornadoes occur everywhere in the world... The TV news tends only to report them when they hit Midwest Trailer Parks, but they occur everywhere.

Answer 7

DUH! It's just not on the news "OMG! A tornado just occured in the middle of the desert in Saudi Arabia!" NOT INTERESTING. Plus, the US doesn't care about other countries unless it affects us too. Like some big natural disaster that we can jump in and help with so we look like the big heros. Nobody cares about a stupid tornado on the other side of the world unless it is a monster tornado that kills thousands of people and destroys a whole country so we can jump in and help and seem like the big heros.

Answer 8

In other parts of the world they are called "Cyclones". Tornadoes or Cyclones can occur anywhere atmospheric conditions are right.

I have seen "twisters" in North Pacific......South Pacific......Sea of Japan.......Indian Ocean and The Atantic

Answer 9

Yes, b/c the US has nice highways to chase them !

So they like to hit the US only, so that they can get a media coverage, ha-ha

Answer 10

Well we have had some in the UK, fairly rare and on the most part not very damaging.