Tornado alley. Click on the image to view the large version. The middle part of the United States is an area that has many tornadoes, particularly in the spring. This area is known as tornado alley. The reason is because it is an area where large cold air masses and large warm air masses collide. When these air masses crash into each other, it can cause thunderstorms and they can create tornadoes.
Strip malls are usually comprised of a series of retail stores whose average size approximates about 1,000 square feet each. As such, most strip malls total less than 20,000 square feet in size. They typically have good visibility due to being generally located on the perimeters of densely populated neighborhoods, heavily trafficked commercial streets that have easy access, or on or near corners.
The parking lots that surround these stores are several times the size of the store itself. Many other big box retail storesâincluding earlier-generation Wal-Mart outlets, Home Depot, Loweâs, Office Depot, Bed Bath & Beyond, etc.âare in the 60,000 to 140,000 square foot range. Barnes & Noble and Borders Books stores range from 25,000 to 45,000 square feet, or about the size of a very large supermarket. Free-standing chain drugstores operated by Walgreens, Rite Aid, and CVS are generally 11,000-15,000 square feet. Asfor independent retailers, thereâs quite a range.