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Is a 70 mph gust a tornado?

Updated: 9/28/2023
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10y ago

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A tornado with 70 mph winds is actually not uncommon. Such a tornado would be rated EF0, the lowest classification. A tornado like this would not tear houses apart, but it could still cause some noticeable damage. However, other wind events besides tornadoes can produce winds of 70 mph and stronger; such winds are not even hurricane force.

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10y ago

No. A tornado is defined as a violently rotating column of air. In other words the winds have to spinning and connect to the cloud base in order to be considered a tornado. Though some weak tornadoes do have peak winds of about 70 mph.

But if there is no rotation a gust to 70 mph is simply a very strong gust of wind.

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Q: Is a 70 mph gust a tornado?
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Related questions

What can a tornado move?

A tornado usually travels in between 30 MPH to 70 MPH.


How fast can a massive tornado move?

A tornado typically moves between 25 and 45 miles per hour, however, tornadoes have been known to move up to 70 mph.


Does a tornado spin faster than an airplane can fly?

No. The fastest wind gust ever recorded in a tornado was 302 mph. By comparison, commercial jets regularly fly at 500 mph. Some fighter jets can fly at over 1,000 mph.


Which tornadoes had the fastest confirmed wind speed?

It is actually a tie between two tornadoes. For years the record stuck with the F5 tornado that hit the Oklahoma City area on May 3, 1999. A wind gust was measured by Doppler radar to 302 mph. That record was tied by another radar measurement in a tornado near El Reno, Oklahoma on May 31, 2013. This was also the largest tornado ever recorded at 2.6 miles wide. A wind gust to about 280 mph was recorded in another tornado, which struck El Reno, Oklahoma on May 24, 2011. Prior to 1999 the highest recorded gust was to 268 mph, recorded during the Red Rock, Oklahoma tornado of April 26, 1991. A wind gust to 264 mph was recorded in the tornado that hit Spencer, South Dakota on May 30, 1998.


What are the top speeds of a tornado?

The fastest wind ever measured in a tornado was a gust to 302 mph in the tornado that hit the Oklahoma City area on May 3, 1999. Other tornadoes with faster winds may have gone unmeasured. The fastest speed at which a tornado has been known to travel was 73 mph.


How fast tornado move?

The average tornado moves at 30-35 mph. But forward speeds may range from stationary to over 70 mph.


Can tornado travel forward at speeds ranging from 30-70 mph?

Yes, forwards speeds closer to 30 mph are more common, though at least one tornado has traveled at over 70 mph. The average forward speed for a tornado is 35 mph. Some tornadoes travel slower though, and can even be stationary.


How fast does tornado move?

The fastest forward traveling speed recorded in a tornado was 73 mph in the Tri-State tornado of March 18, 1925. The fastest wind speed ever recorded in a tornado was 302 mph in Moore, Oklahoma F5 tornado of May 3, 1999.


What is the average size and speed of an tornado?

The average tornado is 50 yards wide and has wind in the range of 70 to 90 mph.


How fast does a tornado travel?

Tornadoes travel at speeds ranging from 0 to over 70 mph. The average is 30 mph.


What was the wind speed the worlds biggest tornado?

The largest tornado ever recorded was the El Reno, Oklahoma tornado of May 31, 2013. This tornado was 2.6 miles wide. Doppler radar measured a wind gust in the tornado at 296 mph, the second highest wind speed ever recorded in a tornado.


About how fast does a tornado travel?

The average tornado moves at 35 mph. Forwards speeds may range from stationary, to over 70 mph. In terms of wind speed the average tornado probably has peak winds of 80 to 90 mph, though these winds may possibly range from 65 mph to over 300 mph.