Why do tornadoes occur in Spain?

The hurricanes they are very typical phenomena of the United States, so much so that every year we can see some news related to them in the media. But not only in North America can they form, also in the rest of the world.

And yes, Spain is included. Proof of this is the spectacular water tornado or waterspout that formed off the Valencian coast on November 27. But, Why do we have tornadoes in our country? 

To answer that question, let's know how American tornadoes form: In the United States, In what is known as "tornado alley" or Tornado Alley, the right conditions exist for a low pressure system to occur which will meet the warm air that comes from the Gulf of Mexico.

For a tornado to form, the atmosphere must have cold air and currents in one direction, and warm air and currents in another direction, which is what is known as shear. The air masses begin to rotate and, if at some point the hot air rises, a tornado will form which will be fed by the rise of that humid air.

In Spain the situation that we have towards the autumn is very similar to the one they have in the great plains in spring. The temperature of the Mediterranean Sea does not begin to be really cold -about 18ºC- until almost the beginning of winter, and this added to the fact that the cold winds from the north begin to reach us, the possibility of tornadoes forming off our coasts is tall.

But of course, they rarely touch the ground so they usually do not cause significant damage, except for floods as a result of heavy rains. Although this situation could change: the mediterranean sea is getting warmer, so it generates more water vapor; Besides, temperatures at the North Pole are also rising As we have been telling you on the blog, so that the conditions for these phenomena to form are more frequent.