Weather Insider: Why does the US see so many tornadoes

The Storm Prediction Center is a branch of the National Weather Service that focuses on forecasting severe weather (severe thunderstorms, hail, tornadoes, strong winds, etc.). For the second day in a row, they have issued a moderate risk of severe weather for parts of the country. This represents a level 4 out of 5.

The reason the US gets so many tornadoes is largely due to our geography. Warm, moist air comes out of the Southeast from the Gulf of Mexico. Then a layer of warm, dry air comes in from the desert southwest above the warm, moist layer. Lastly, there is cold, dry air aloft from the Rocky Mountains.

The warm, moist air wants to rise and the cold, dry air wants to sink. However, the warm dry layer is stuck between the two. This creates an unstable atmospheric setup which is conducive for severe thunderstorm formation.