Tornado

A tornado, also known as a twister, is a rapidly rotating column of air that extends vertically from the surface of the Earth to the base of a cumulonimbus or cumulus cloud. Tornadoes are often (but not always) visible in the form of a condensation funnel originating from the cloud base, with a cloud of rotating debris and dust close to the ground. Most tornadoes have wind speeds less than , are about across, and travel several kilometers (a few miles) before dissipating. The most extreme tornadoes can attain wind speeds of more than , can be more than in diameter, and can stay on the ground f

thumb|upright=1.3|A waterspout near Thailand in 2016

scale for rating tornado intensity

area in the U.S. with frequent tornado outbreaks

Scale for assessing the intensity of tornadoes used in North America

funnel-shaped cloud of condensed water droplets, associated with a rotating column of wind

Scale for rating tornado intensity

Pendant or hook-shaped radar signature.

occurrence of multiple tornadoes spawned by the same synoptic-scale weather system

thumb|right|410px|A gustnado near Swan Quarter, North Carolina, on April 26, 2019

__NOTOC__ thumb|A landspout tornado in the early stages of development by the town of Lamar, Colorado|alt=Photograph of a landspout under mostly cloudy skies thumb|A landspout tornado forms from a developing thunderstorm near Cheyenne Wells, Colorado. Landspouts are exceptionally common in Eastern Colorado. thumb|Landspout on September 29, 2007, in Minas Gerais

Storm chasing vehicle used to intercept tornadoes

Area in Southern United States known for violent tornadoes

tornado comprising multiple vortices

detection of debris from a tornado in weather radar data

Tornado rating system