This map shows the tracks of all 59,036 recorded tornadoes that touched down in the United States between January 3, 1950 and December 21, 2013. The end result looks like a Jackson Pollock painting.

The strength of the tornadoes is denoted by the color of the track; white tracks are the weakest F0/EF-0 tornadoes, while the bright red tracks show the strongest F5/EF-5s.

The prevalence of tornadoes in the central United States is clear, as are the relatively-calmRocky Mountains and Appalachian Mountains. The map shows that tornadoes can happen pretty much everywhere — yes, even in mountainous areas — and that some of the strongest tornadoes have occurred as far west as Wyoming and as far east as Massachusetts.

Be sure to click the "expand" button on the top-left part of the image to get the full effect, as compression diminishes some of the detail.