It depends. In the oversimplified scenario presented by the media, tornadoes form along a boundary between warm and cold air masses. However, tornadoes may also be caused by the boundary between masses of contrasting moisture content, rather than temperature. In other cases, they may form within a warm, moist air mass, away from any boundaries.
The colliding air masses in Tornado Alley are warm, moist air from the Gulf of Mexico, cool air from Canada, and dry air from the Rockies. This collision is just part of the recipe for tornadoes.
Air masses are not involved in typhoons because these are tropical storms, as opposed to mid-latitude cyclones. The air in these storms is homogeneously tropical.
Stationary Front
Usually, a stationary front has two air masses. It becomes a stationary front when two different air masses are too weak to replace the other. A wide variety of weather can be found along a stationary front.
Tornadoes in the United States are generally associated with collisions of air masses. In mmany cases there is a warm, moist air mass that originates over the Gulf of Mexico. This meets a cool air mass from Canada, a warm, dry air mass from the Rocky Mountains, or both.
The colliding air masses in Tornado Alley are warm, moist air from the Gulf of Mexico, cool air from Canada, and dry air from the Rockies. This collision is just part of the recipe for tornadoes.
A Tornado A Front.
Air masses are not involved in typhoons because these are tropical storms, as opposed to mid-latitude cyclones. The air in these storms is homogeneously tropical.
The cool air sinks, while the warm air rises. If it does so with enough force and torque, a tornado or hurricane will form.
No, a tornado cannot form without a thunderstorm. A tornado needs the crossing winds of two air masses to provide rotation in order for a tornado to form. Tornadoes do not form from convection thunderstorms, but only from air mass thunderstorms.
Stationary Front
The tornado is not a direct result of the interacting air masses. When a warm and cold air mass collide the warm air, being less dense, is forced upward. If the warm air mass is unstable enough, this upward forcing triggers the formation of thunderstorms. If other conditions are right, these storms may go on to produce tornadoes.
Usually two, but sometimes it can be three.
In Tornado Alley Warm moist air from the Gulf of Mexico meets with dry air masses from the Rockies and/or cool air masses from Canada. These collisions can produce violent thunderstorms that can sometimes produce tornadoes. See the related question below for more detail.
A tornado usually requires a warm, moist air mass, most often when it collides with a cool and/or dry air mass.
If the two air masses are moving together in different directions, you could get a tornado.
Tornadoes are a product of severe thunderstorms usually found where a warm, moist air mass collides with either a cooler air mass or a dry air mass.