Make a Tornado in a Bottle

Because real weather nerds don’t just watch storms, they build them!

In this fun, hands-on experiment, you’ll create your very own mini tornado using just two bottles and a few things from your kitchen. It’s easy to make, cool to watch, and a perfect way to learn how tornadoes really spin and swirl in the sky.

🌪️ What You’ll Learn:

• How tornadoes form in the atmosphere

  
  

• Why the swirling motion creates a vortex

  
  

• How gravity and air pressure work together to make storms spin

🧰 What You’ll Need:

• 2 clear plastic bottles (16 oz or 2-liter both work!)

  
  

• Duct tape or a tornado tube connector

  
  

• Water

  
  

• A small drop of dish soap

  
  

• (Optional) Glitter or food coloring to make your tornado stand out

  
  

🔧 Let’s Build It!

1. Fill one bottle about ¾ full of water.

Add a drop of dish soap and glitter or food coloring for extra fun.

2. Attach the second bottle to the top of the first.

If you have a tornado tube, twist it on. If not, tape the bottle necks together tightly with duct tape.

3. Flip the bottles over so the full one is on top.

Quickly swirl the top bottle in a circle to start the motion.

4. Watch your tornado spin!

As the water moves down into the bottom bottle, you’ll see a swirling vortex just like in a real tornado.

🔬 How It Works:

When you spin the bottle, the water swirls around the center. This creates a force called centripetal force, which pulls the water into a spinning funnel. In nature, tornadoes form when warm air starts to rotate inside a powerful storm — and your bottle version shows how that spin looks!

🧠 Try This Too!

• Try swirling slow vs. fast and see what happens

  
  

• Add different colors to compare vortex styles

  
  

• Time how long your tornado lasts

📸 Show Off Your Tornado!

We’d love to see your swirling storm!

Ask an adult to help you share a photo or video and tag @WeatherNerdyTV using #WeatherNerdy, you might get featured!