No. Tornadoes are caused by thunderstorms.
Intense fires can create vortices called firewhirls but these are not considered tornadoes.
Most of the damage caused by tornadoes is the result of extremely powerful winds.
In the past five years tornadoes have caused about $30 billion in damage in the U.S., most of it in 2011.
tornadoes
Tornado alley, USA
Yes. Tornadoes are cause by severe thunderstorms, most of which fall into a category called supercells.
That record currently belongs to Hurricane Ivan in 2004, which produced 117 recorded tornadoes.
Yorba Linda Firestorms happened in 2008.
Tornadoes are natural events caused by the right setup of weather conditions. Human-caused climate change may affect where and when tornadoes are most likely to occur, but tornadoes remain a primarily natural phenomenon.
Tornadoes caused 44 deaths in the U.S. in 2010 and an unknown number worldwide.
Moving tectonic plates and tornadoes are not directly related. Tornadoes are primarily caused by atmospheric conditions such as warm, moist air colliding with cool, dry air. Tectonic plate movements can indirectly affect weather patterns, but they do not directly cause tornadoes.
Most tornadoes (about 99%) in the northern hemisphere rotate counterclockwise. But most in the southern hemisphere rotate clockwise.
Yes. Tornadoes are a type of natural phenomenon.