Tornadoes occur everywhere in the United States, and each region of the nation has its own tornado season. Some tornadoes have crossed mountains, some have lasted more than an hour, scouring the earth with wind speeds of 250 miles per hour, and some have carried automobiles a half-mile and leveled sturdily built homes. In The Tornado, Thomas P. Grazulis both re-creates the incredible drama that so often accompanies tornadoes and provides detailed meteorological and statistical information about these marvels of nature. How often does a tornado hit a particular location? How fast are its winds? Do tornadoes really seek out trailer parks? Can they actually defeather a chicken? How many tornadoes hit the United States every year? How big can tornadoes get? Grazulis addresses all these questions and more in this book about one of the most fascinating scientific puzzles on the planet.