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

They seem to be somewhere in Tornado Alley: When a rival forecaster goes viral for dancing on the air during his segment, the boys—and all Dad’s colleagues—think he should do the same.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Having mixed feelings about going home isn’t all she shares with Kate, a weather expert returning to her native state — specifically to a notorious area nicknamed “Tornado Alley” for the frequency of those deadly events.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

"There has been an eastward shift in Tornado Alley? Is that due to climate change? Not clear to me."

Read more on Salon

He and his crew filmed this summer’s tentpole in Oklahoma’s Tornado Alley during the height of tornado season, bringing logistical difficulties and frequent delays due to weather.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Filming a summer tentpole in Oklahoma’s Tornado Alley during the height of tornado season brought with it a veritable storm — onscreen and off — of logistical difficulties, with frequent delays due to unpredictable weather.

Read more on Los Angeles Times