Our "balloons" -- meteorologists call them "updrafts" -- are the engines of the storm.

CNN: The making of a nightmare tornado

When the updrafts are strong and the wind shear large, the spin inside the mesocyclone becomes very fast.

CNN: The making of a nightmare tornado

In order to take advantage of the sharp updrafts and minimize the damage from the downdrafts, you have had to act ahead of the news.

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This is the so-called jet stream, the fast river of air that helps drive our weather, which interacts with the storm's updrafts to create a spinning column of air.

CNN: The making of a nightmare tornado

The energy released in the updrafts then interacts with our second ingredient needed for violent tornadoes, the change of the wind direction and speed at you go upward from the ground.

CNN: The making of a nightmare tornado