"What is a Tornado?"
Tornadoes are known as one of the
most damaging disasters. What is the description of tornadoes? A tornado is a
very powerful column of winds which spirals around a center of low atmospheric
pressure. A tornado will look like a large black funnel which hangs down from a
storm cloud.
The name "tornado" derives
from the Latin "tonare". It means "to thunder." While the
Spanish developed the word into "tornear" which means "to turn
or twist". This is why a tornado is sometimes called twister or cyclone.
The winds inside a twister can spin
around at speeds up to 500 miles an hour, but it usually travels at roughly 300
miles an hour. This speed twisting makes a tornado the most dangerous storm.
The average tornado has a diameter
of about 200 to 300 yards. The smaller tornadoes are known as satellite
tornadoes. These small offspring, about 50 yards across, can be very fierce and
do lots of damage.
The forming of a tornado can be very
quick. Sometimes it can form in a minute or less. A tornado can travel across
the ground at high speeds, then it can suddenly vanish. Most tornadoes last
less than twenty minutes and travel less than 15 miles. However, the super
storms sometimes travel over 100 miles before they are exhausted.
