Do tornadoes happen in Kansas a lot and why do they?

Answer 1

Yes. Kansas is at the heart of a region commonly called Tornado Alley, a region of the United States that has the highest amount of tornado activity in the world. The region is the site of frequent collisions of warm, moist air from the Gulf of Mexico, cool air from Canada, and dry air from the Rockies. These collisions result in very strong thunderstorms, with the moist air acting as their "fuel." Additionally, the region often has a layer of stable air called a cap that suppresses storms, allowing only the strongest to develop. As a result the strong storms don't have to compete with weaker ones for energy and so become even stronger. Finally, the region often sees strong vertical wind shear, or a variation of wind speed and direction with altitude. This tilts them in such a way that the updraft and downdraft portions becomes separated and don't interfere with one another, letting the already strong storm further strengthen and last longer. The wind shear also sets the storms rotating, turning them into supercells, the most powerful thunderstorms on earth. It is the rotation within these supercells that can develop into a tornado.

Other parts of the world do see such conditions and thunderstorms at least occasionally, but not with the same frequency as in Tornado Alley.