The Difference Between A Tornado And A Hurricane Revealed For Kids!

Nature can be the most blissful gift for humans.

Nature can also sometimes take turns and be the most fearful thing to humans. Natural calamities like earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, and more can take down the lives of people.

The easiest way to differentiate between tornadoes and hurricanes is all about their origins and speeds. Hurricanes are huge and more devastating. Their origin is a body of water. Tornadoes are smaller than hurricanes, and their origin is on land. Both the natural calamities are highly destructive in nature.

What Is A Tornado?

A tornado is a destructive and violent naturally-occurring windstorm. This windstorm is known to occur on land. This windstorm is seen as a cone-shaped cloud. A tornado can be really destructive.

One of the biggest examples of a tornado that occurred in the past was the 'Tri-State Tornado'. This tornado was a huge blow to human beings. It killed around 695 people in the year 1925.

A tornado formation is linked to the collision of warm air and cold air in the atmosphere.

What Is A Hurricane?

Hurricanes form stormy and windy disasters and occur in the warm water tropics. Such a windy disaster is known to occur in swirls that hit offshore and also destroy the livelihoods of coastal people. Whenever such a storm is predicted, coastal areas can expect heavy rainstorms, high speedy winds, and also stormy weather surges.

One of the greatest examples of storms that occurred in the past is the 'Great Galveston', which hit the United States. The storms occurred in the year 1900, and nearly 1,800 people died.

The storm happened to be the most disastrous hurricane in the United States, which entirely flooded United States' cities; the storm surge was recorded to be about 15 ft (4.6 m) tall!

If someone is wondering about cyclones, then cyclones is the term for typhoons in the south Pacific and the Indian Ocean regions. In the northwest Pacific regions, the term typhoon is widely used.

A typhoon is also a weather and temperature event where flooding and windy swirls occur in bodies of water. Most cyclones are known to happen around the month of May or June and can even occur around the months of October and November.

The strongest hurricane that has ever occurred was the Atlantic hurricane which was named Hurricane Wilma. This occurred in the year 2005, and the recorded intensity was around 882 mbar!

Hurricane Katrina from New Orleans is a popular example. The storm caused by Earth's rotation in a well-defined center caused severe damage.

Mostly hurricanes are known to be formed when the air over the water rises, and the warm air current is replaced by cool winds. Generally, this process also leads to thunderstorms and cloud formation over water bodies, which, when severe, lead to the formation of a hurricane as low pressure starts forming in the water body.

The wind speeds of a hurricane can range from 100-200 mph (160.9-321.9 kph). Hurricane speeds are very fast in nature. They can uproot trees or even destroy buildings.

Types Of Tornado

There have been different types of tornadoes, which are classified based on the type of wind swirls or even the nature of the tornadoes. Normally, tornadoes are known to be one of two types: the super ell and non-supercell.

However, in recent years, geologists have specified many different types of tornadoes. These are called rope tornados, cone tornados, wedge tornados, multi-vortex tornados, satellite tornados, water spouts, and also land spouts.

The strength of a tornado is determined by using the Enhanced Fujita Scale, which has speed ratings for the tornadoes that occur. Forecasters make a severity rating using this Fujita Scale, which is rated on the basis of zero to five.

Types Of Hurricane

There have been various types of hurricanes too. Hurricanes, unlike tornadoes, are classified according to different wind speeds.

Hence, hurricanes are categorized as category one, category two, category three, category four, and category five.

These different categories of hurricanes are divided on the basis of the Saffir Simpson scale.

The wind speed of a category one hurricane is around 95 mph (152.9 kph); the wind speed of a category two hurricane is around 110 mph (177 kph); the wind speed of a category three type of hurricane is 129 mph (207.6 kph); the wind speed of a category four hurricane is 156 mph (251 kph), and the category five type of hurricane has a wind speed of 160 mph (257.5 kph) or more.

Apart from these, there are some different categories of hurricane-like tropical depressions and tropical storms, which are not considered deadly hurricanes.

The Difference Between A Tornado And A Hurricane

There are many well-known differences between hurricanes and tornadoes. However, a typhoon and hurricane are considered to be the same thing.

The main big difference between a hurricane and a tornado is that hurricanes are considered much bigger and more destructive than tornadoes. Tornadoes can be as large as two mi (3.2 km) wide, but hurricanes can go beyond 300 mi (482.8 km) wide. Also, tornadoes occur over a land area, and hurricanes occur over a water area.

Suppose someone is wondering about what is more devastating between a tornado or a hurricane, then here is the answer. Both are considered to be highly devastating natural disasters.

However, a hurricane can cause more damage and can also drown a whole country. The reason behind this is that hurricanes are much bigger than tornadoes. The diameters of the swirls of hurricanes can be more than 400 mi (643.7 km) which makes it more devastating and destructive.

Hurricanes and tornadoes have different origins. Tornadoes are mostly windy specks of dust in a land area. Hurricanes are the windy swirls over water bodies. Also, hurricanes can spawn tornadoes.

This can lead the hurricanes to form landfall. Two hurricanes can collide together. This collision between two hurricanes is known as the Fujiwhara effect. It is also proved that two smaller hurricanes can come together to form a big hurricane.

The energy of both hurricanes and tornadoes comes from the air currents or the water vapors present in the air. However, these natural occurrences do have severe effects on the livelihoods of people.

It is all thanks to the development of the metrological department that keeps recording and forecasting these calamities that people can stay safe and damages can be minimized.

Did You Know...

Speaking of a tropical storm, the national hurricane center forecasts warnings on tropical cyclones, the occurrence of a tropical storm over tropical oceans based on strong cyclonic winds. A tropical cyclone with sustained winds would be a maximum of 39-73.

The national hurricane center also issues advisory products for a tropical cyclone and is more active during the hurricane season. Yes, there is a hurricane season in some places.

While most hurricanes develop over an ocean surface, tornadoes form when warm air rises. The moist air and strong winds for a prolonged state may cause heavy damage.

While powerful tornadoes originate from a large thunderstorm, they eventually cause heavy rain, funnels cloud, sustained winds, and more damage in surrounding areas. Now think of the damage multiple tornadoes may cause. Heavy rains, high winds, and moist air are obviously not the only concern.

Even the smallest type of tornado (Rope Tornado) has the ability to grow intensely with changing atmospheric conditions. The clouds within a hurricane are generally termed cumulus or cumulonimbus clouds, forming large rings and bands and causing heavy rainfall.

The Gulf Stream is a strong ocean current that brings warm waters from the Gulf of Mexico into the Atlantic Ocean. The Atlantic Basin includes the Caribbean Sea. Still, the temperatures in the Atlantic Ocean, despite the influence and warm fronts of the Gulf of Mexico, are cooler compared to the Pacific.