Tornadoes Are Rated by the Damage They Do
A tornado is a violently rotating column of air touching the ground. Its strength is measured from the damage, not from the wind directly.
A tornado is a rotating column of air extending from a thundercloud to the ground. Its rating is unusual among natural hazards: because instruments rarely survive inside one, the Enhanced Fujita scale works backwards from the damage caused, estimating the wind speed that must have produced it.
- A rotating column of air. *A tornado touched down.*
- Twister — the informal American word. *A twister crossed the highway.*
- Waterspout — a tornado over water. *A waterspout offshore.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | tornado | A strong tornado. |
| Plural | tornadoes | Several tornadoes. |
| Adjective | tornadic | Tornadic storms. |
| Related | cyclone | A tropical cyclone. |
| Related | funnel cloud | A funnel cloud aloft. |
How it is used in a sentence
- The tornado was rated EF3.From the damage survey.
- A funnel cloud is not a tornado until it reaches the ground.The technical distinction.
- Britain records more tornadoes per area than most countries.Though almost all are weak.
Tornado facts
- Enhanced Fujita scale — EF0 to EF5, based on damage
- Supercell — the rotating thunderstorm that produces most strong tornadoes
- Tornado alley — an informal name for a high-frequency region of the United States
- Waterspout — the same phenomenon over water
- Warning versus watch — a watch means conditions are favourable, a warning means one has been seen
From Spanish *tronada*, a thunderstorm, altered under the influence of *tornar*, to turn. English sailors brought the word back from the Atlantic in the sixteenth century.
Tornado or hurricane?
A tornado is small, short-lived and forms from a thunderstorm. A hurricane is a vast tropical cyclone lasting days.
Watch or warning?
A watch means conditions could produce a tornado. A warning means one has been sighted or detected and you should take shelter.