The typical aanswer to that is indeed continental polar and maritime tropical, but it is not necessarily the case. A continental tropical air mass may take the place of the continental polar air mass. In some cases, no collision of air masses is needed.
Yes. The warm air mass that often plays a role in tornado formation is called a maritime tropical air mass.
No. If conteinental tropical and continental polar air masses meet, they will form a front. Storm activity would be limited due to the relative lack of moisture. If a continental polar and maritime tropical air mass meet, then thunderstorms are possible. The collision of air masses does not directly result in the formation of tornadoes. Instead, the collisions result in thunderstorms which, if a few other conditions are right, may go on to produce tornadoes.
The terminology here is a bit confused. In weather there are 4 basic types of large-scale air mass: Continental polar air masses come off the land in cold regions and are cool and dry. Maritime polar masses come off the ocean and are cool and somewhat moist. Continental tropical air masses come of the land from warm regions and are warm and dry. Finally maritime tropical masses come off of warm oceans and are warm and moist. When a continental polar air mass pushes into a maritime tropical air mass it forms a cold front. Since cold air is denser than warm air, the tropical air mass is forced upwards. This can trigger thunderstorms. Under the right conditions these storms can produce tornadoes.
Depends on what you mean. Tornadoes can occur in the tropics, and tropical storms can produce tornadoes, but a tropical storm and a tornado are two very different things.
Yes. Antarctica has never had a tornado or tropical cyclone.
The odd one out is a tornado. Hurricanes and typhoons are both strong tropical cyclones and their own weather systems. A tornado is neither tropical nor a cyclone, but is instead a small-scale weather event that is dependent on a larger parent storm.
Antarctica has never recorded a tornado or a tropical cyclone (hurricane or typhoon).
The only continent that has never has a recorded tornado or tropical cyclone is Antarctica.
tsunami
No. A tropical cyclone is a storm such as a tropical storm, hurricane, or typhoon. In other words, a large-scale storm system the develops over warm ocean water. A tornado is a small-scale but intense vortex that is not necessarily tropical and can easily form over land.
Yes. A tornado is orders of magnitude smaller than a tropical cyclone. Most tornadoes are no more than a few hundred yards wide and rarely over a mile. By contrast a tropical cyclone is usually hundreds of miles wide.
tornado alley