A tornado near Anadarko, Oklahoma. The funnel itself is the thin tube reaching from the cloud to the ground. The lower part of this tornado is surrounded by a translucent dust cloud, kicked up by the tornado's strong winds at the surface. Note that the actual wind of the tornado has a much wider radius than the funnel.
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A tornado is a violent, dangerous, rotating column of air that is in contact with both the surface of the earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. They are often referred to as a twister or a cyclone,[1] although the word cyclone is used in meteorology in a wider sense, to name any closed low pressure circulation. Tornadoes come in many shapes and sizes, but are typically in the form of a visible condensation funnel, whose narrow end touches the earth and is often encircled by a cloud of debris and dust. Most tornadoes have wind speeds less than 110 miles per hour (177 km/h), are approximately 250 feet (80 m) across, and travel a few miles (several kilometers) before dissipating. The most extreme tornadoes can attain wind speeds of more than 300 mph (480 km/h), stretch more than two miles (3 km) across, and stay on the ground for dozens of miles (more than 100 km).[2][3][4]
Various types of tornadoes include the landspout, multiple vortex tornado, and waterspout. Waterspouts are characterized by a spiraling funnel-shaped wind current, connecting to a large cumulus or cumulonimbus cloud. They are generally classified as non-supercellular tornadoes that develop over bodies of water.[5] These spiraling columns of air frequently develop in tropical areas close to the equator, and are less common at high latitudes.[6] Other tornado-like phenomena that exist in nature include the gustnado, dust devil, fire whirls, and steam devil.
Tornadoes have been observed on every continent except Antarctica. However, the vast majority of tornadoes in the world occur in the Tornado Alley region of the United States, although they can occur nearly anywhere in North America.[7] They also occasionally occur in south-central and eastern Asia, the Philippines, south east Asia, like Malaysia,[8] northern and east-central South America, Southern Africa, northwestern and southeast Europe, western and southeastern Australia, and New Zealand.[9] Tornadoes can be detected before or as they occur through the use of Pulse-Doppler radar by recognizing patterns in velocity and reflectivity data, such as hook echoes, as well as by the efforts of storm spotters.
There are several different scales for rating the strength of tornadoes. The Fujita scale rates tornadoes by damage caused, and has been replaced in some countries by the updated Enhanced Fujita Scale. An F0 or EF0 tornado, the weakest category, damages trees, but not substantial structures. An F5 or EF5 tornado, the strongest category, rips buildings off their foundations and can deform large skyscrapers. The similar TORRO scale ranges from a T0 for extremely weak tornadoes to T11 for the most powerful known tornadoes.[10] Doppler radar data, photogrammetry, and ground swirl patterns (cycloidal marks) may also be analyzed to determine intensity and assign a rating.[11]
Contents[hide]Based on statistical date, the average tornado is a high-end EF0, so average winds are probably in the range of 80 mph. This may seem surprising, but in truth most of the damage seen on TV is cause by the strongest 5% of tornadoes.
The greatest number of tornadoes are rated EF0 so most likely about 80-90 mph
The average tornado is a high EF0 with winds of about 80 mph.
However, winds may range from 65 mph at the low end, to over 300 mph in the very strongest of tornadoes.
The average wind speed in a tornado is likely around 80 mph. The average traveling speed is around 30 mph.
The average tornado has a forward speed of 30 mph.
It varies widely. Some tornadoes are stationary while others have traveled at over 70 mph (the record is 73).
However, the average tornado moves at about 35 mph.
30 MPH
35 mph
The largest tornado on record in the U.S. varied in speed. For the early part of its time on the ground it traveled at about 30 mph before suddenly accelerating to 55 mph.
The fastest forward traveling speed recorded in a tornado was 73 mph in the Tri-State tornado of March 18, 1925. The fastest wind speed ever recorded in a tornado was 302 mph in Moore, Oklahoma F5 tornado of May 3, 1999.
The forward speed of a tornado varies, but most will travel at about 45 to 55 km/h. However some tornadoes are nearly stationary while others may move at over 110 km/h. The winds inside a tornado can range from about 100 km/h to about 480 km/h, though most do not exceed 180 km/h.
How long a tornado is over a given location varies depending on how wide the tornado is and how fast it is moving. You can calculate this fairly simply. Once you have the values converted to compatible units (e.g. width in meters and speed in meters/second) you simply divide the width of the tornado by its forward speed to get how long it is over a location. A typical tornado is about 50 yards (45 meters) wide and moves at 30 mph (13 m/s). Such a tornado would be over a given spot for about 3.5 seconds. By contrast, a mile (1,600 meter) wide tornado moving at the same speed would be over a location for 2 minutes.
In most cases the wind speed of a tornado is estimated based on the severity of the damage it causes.
The average forward speed of a tornado is 30 mph.
The average tornado moves at about 30 miles per hour.
In terms of how fast a tornado is moving, the tornado is tracked on radar. The forward speed is calculated based on how far it moves in a given period of time. The wind speed of a tornado is estimated based on the severity of the damage it causes.
The highest wind speed ever recorded in a tornado was 302 mph. Other tornadoes, however, may have had faster winds that simply weren't measured. The fastest known forward speed of a tornado was 73 mph.
Officially the minimum wind speed for an EF0 tornado is 65 mph, though a few have occurred with 60 mph winds. In terms of forward speed, some tornadoes don't move at all.
The tornado is reported to have had a path length of 27 miles and an average forward speed of 35 mph, which works out to a duration of 46 minutes.
The fastest forward speed ever recorded for a tornado was 73 mph, though the tornado that set the record did not travel that fast at all times. At that speed it would take about 14 days to circle the earth. The average tornado travels at about 35 mph, at which speed it would take between 29 and 30 days to circle the earth.
There is no set forward speed. But the winds of an EF5 tornado are in excess of 200 mph, with some potentially exceeding 300 mph.
Yes, forwards speeds closer to 30 mph are more common, though at least one tornado has traveled at over 70 mph. The average forward speed for a tornado is 35 mph. Some tornadoes travel slower though, and can even be stationary.
The largest tornado on record in the U.S. varied in speed. For the early part of its time on the ground it traveled at about 30 mph before suddenly accelerating to 55 mph.
The Tri-state tornado still holds the record for forward speed, damage path length and U.S. death toll. However it is not the deadliest tornado recorded in the world. That title now goes to the Daulatpur-Saturia tornado of Bangladesh with a death toll of over 1,300.
The wind speed of a tornado is inferred from the severity of the damage it inflicts.