Linda Drake, age 13, of Omaha, Nebraska, for her question:

What are the Australian willy willies?

A willy willy is a stormy weather condition on the other side of the globe. It is the name the Australians give to a twisty tornado. However, it is used more often to describe a howling hurricane. There are on this planet a few breeding grounds where hurricane storms are likely to hatch and move forth on regular paths of des¬truction. The worst of these regions is the Southwestern Pacific Ocean, between the Philippine and Marshall Islands. For here they speed westward and swoop north up the China coast, often as far as Japan.

This hurricane hatching ground has a counterpart south of the equator, far out in the mid Pacific. Its storms also rage forth along westward paths. But when they near islands and land masses, they swerve to the south. Some rage through the East Indies and others curve south to lash New Zealand. Other hurricanes from this hatch¬ery swoop on to bash the northeastern edge of Australia. Here the people call them willy willies.