One Waterside Drive
Norfolk, VA 23510
(757) 644-1000
TORNADO TUBES
PROPS: water, glitter, food coloring, dish soap, 20-ounce plastic soda bottle, map of the United States
CONCEPTS: vortex, tornado formation
VIRGINIA SOL'S: 2.6, 4.6, 6.3, ES.13
A tornado is a vortex. A vortex is a spinning column of material like air or water. Tornados tend to occur in the spring and form from thunderstorms. Warm, moist air masses move north from the Gulf of Mexico and collide with cool, dry air masses moving south from Canada. When these air masses collide they can mix as the warm air rises and the cooler air sinks. Most of the tornados that form in North America do so because the mountain ranges run from North to South. This allows the warm gulf air and cold Canadian air masses to meet.
The region from Texas to North Dakota is often called Tornado Alley because it is composed of a flat area beside major mountain ranges. Have the students look at the map of the U.S. and locate Tornado Alley. A tornado can form in the Southeastern part of the country when air masses spin off a hurricane as it moves inland.
Make A Tornado in a Tube
- Add water to a clean 20-ounce plastic soda bottle. Fill the bottle about ¾ of the way.
- Place 1-2 drops of food coloring in the bottle.
- Add glitter.
- Put 1 drop of soap into the bottle.
- Put the top on tightly. DO NOT SHAKE THE BOTTLE.
- Hold the bottle by the top and swirl in a circular motion using your wrist. Observe the formation of the vortex.
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