tornado
meteorology
- Key People:
- Tetsuya Fujita
- Related Topics:
- thunderstorm
- tropical cyclone
- waterspout
- mesocyclone
- tornado outbreak
Recent News
May 29, 2024, 11:00 AM ET (Washington Post)
Why the 2024 tornado season has been so active and deadly
May 24, 2024, 6:06 PM ET (AP)
More severe weather moves through Midwest as Iowa residents clean up tornado damage
May 23, 2024, 11:22 PM ET (AP)
More bad weather could hit Iowa, where 3 powerful tornadoes caused millions in damage
May 22, 2024, 10:42 PM ET (AP)
5 dead and at least 35 hurt as tornadoes ripped through Iowa, officials say
May 22, 2024, 9:24 PM ET (AP)
Wind towers crumpled after Iowa wind farm suffers rare direct hit from powerful twister
Top Questions
What is a tornado?
What is a tornado?
How long do tornadoes last?
How long do tornadoes last?
Where do tornadoes occur?
Where do tornadoes occur?
Which country has the most tornadoes?
Which country has the most tornadoes?
How fast are tornado winds?
How fast are tornado winds?
tornado, a small-diameter column of violently rotating air developed within a convective cloud and in contact with the ground. Tornadoes occur most often in association with thunderstorms during the spring and summer in the mid-latitudes of both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. These whirling atmospheric vortices can generate the strongest winds known on Earth: wind speeds in the range of 500 km (300 miles) per hour have been measured in extreme events. When winds of this magnitude strike a populated area, they can cause fantastic destruction and great loss of life, mainly through injuries from flying debris and collapsing structures. ...(100 of 8079 words)