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Name: Lucy
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Question:
Why do tornadoes spin?

Replies:
Lucy,

Tornados spin in response to rotating air inside a thunderstorm. As air is carried upwards in a thunderstorm by strong "convection" (warm air rising), its motion is turned sideways, causing rotation in the storm. Sometimes the entire thunderstorm can be seen to be turning. This rotating force is sometimes amplified and the rotation drops from the cloud to the ground, resulting in a tornado.

David R. Cook

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