Why are tornadoes more devastating than a thunderstorm?

A tornado is an element of a thunderstorm. It cannot occur without one. It is a consequence of the up-draft of the thunderstorm starting to rotate. read more

Tornadoes are far more devastating than thunderstorms, because of two factors. One is their wind speed. The strongest tornadoes have winds of up to 300 mph, and can completely flatten everything in their path. read more

Oklahoma City has been hit more often by tornadoes than any other U.S. city, with a known total now of more than 100 strikes. More tornadoes have actually touched down in Florida than in Oklahoma, but the ones that strike Florida are generally much weaker systems. read more

A tornado is a physical process within a thunderstorm, which itself is a physical process. They are physically different processes. This page may be out of date. read more