Tornado Alley

[ tawr-ney-doh al-ee ]

noun

1. (sometimes lowercase) a North American zone where tornadoes occur more frequently than elsewhere on the continent: an unofficial and variable designation, Tornado Alley lies within a wide vertical swath of the central United States, from northern Texas into Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, and South Dakota, often extending into other areas, including Missouri, Illinois, Iowa, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and the Canadian prairies:

   Living outside Tornado Alley is no guarantee you’ll never see a tornado—just ask the folks in any state in New England.

Word History and Origins

Origin of Tornado Alley¹

First recorded in 1950–55

Example Sentences

Hoadley and Jensen were both from North Dakota — the storm-prone state that’s now part of the holy grail of chasers, aka “Tornado Alley.”

From Ozy

Tornado Alley, a part of the Great Plains in the central part of the country, is so named because it sees the most tornadoes.

From Ozy

As a child of Tornado Alley myself, I endorse the sentiment in this American Prospect piece by Monica Potts.

From The Daily Beast

I lived in Tornado Alley for 30 years and I was lucky because my house was always on the outskirts.

From The Daily Beast

Maybe this first and most forcefully got my attention in Tornado Alley but it continues.

From The Daily Beast