Tornadoes Can Occur on Every Continent Except Antarctica

The specific atmospheric ingredients required for a tornado explain its global, yet selective, distribution. These powerful vortexes form when warm, moist air collides with cool, dry air, creating extreme atmospheric instability and wind shear. The central United States is a perfect breeding ground for this clash, with warm air from the Gulf of Mexico meeting cooler air from the Rocky Mountains. Antarctica, on the other hand, lacks the single most crucial ingredient: a significant source of warm, moist air. Its polar climate is simply too cold and stable to generate the kind of violent thunderstorms that spawn tornadoes.

While North America's "Tornado Alley" is the most famous hotspot, it is far from the only one. The deadliest tornado in recorded history struck the Daulatpur–Saturia region of Bangladesh in 1989, killing an estimated 1,300 people. The high population density and less resilient infrastructure in the region contribute to a tragically higher death toll when severe storms hit. Other significant tornado-prone areas include the "Pasillo de los Tornados" (Tornado Corridor) in Argentina and parts of eastern South Africa, where similar atmospheric conditions can produce powerful and destructive storms. These global occurrences highlight that the potential for tornadoes exists wherever the right weather ingredients can combine.