Tornado in a Jar

A tornado is air which is spinning very fast. It is made by a special type of thunderstorm called a supercell.

What you will need:

• A clear jam jar or similar see-through container with a screw-on lid
• Washing-up liquid or liquid soap
• Food colouring

What to do:

1. Fill up the container with water then add a few drops of the washing-up liquid and a few drops of the food colouring. Tightly screw on the lid.
2. Swirl the container around in a circle lots of times and then stop. Inside you should see what looks like a tornado. It will slowly disappear as it reaches the top of the container.
   Tornadoes in the real world are made in the same way.

You will need

Web page reproduced with the kind permission of the Met Office

There is an alternative version here.