What is the differences and similarities between a cyclone and a tornado?

Answer 1

Similarities between tornadoes and hurricanes:

• Both are violent storms.
• Both produce very strong, damaging winds.
• Both tornadoes and hurricanes produce intense low pressure.
• Both rotate counterclockwise in the northern hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere.

Differences between tornadoes and hurricanes:

• Hurricanes are typically hundreds of miles wide, no less than 60 miles while tornadoes average 150 feet wide and are 2.5 miles wide at most.
• Hurricanes form over tropical ocean water while tornadoes generally form over land.
• Hurricanes take days to form and can last for up to a month while tornadoes typically last a few minutes, rarely exceeding an hour.
• A hurricane is itself and independent storm system while a tornado is dependent on a parent thunderstorm.
• Most hurricane deaths and damage result from flooding while tornadoes cause most damage and deaths through wind and airborne debris.
• Tornadoes are usually made visible by a condensation funnel, which is not a feature of hurricanes.

Answer 2

Cyclone- An atmospheric system characterized by the rapid inward circulation of air masses about a low-pressure center, usually accompanied by stormy or rainy weather. Cyclones circulate counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere

Tornado- A rotating column of air ranging in width from a few yards to more than a mile and whirling at destructively high speeds, usually accompanied by a funnel-shaped downward extension of a cumulonimbus cloud

Answer 3

Both are types of storm that can produce damaging winds and are fueled by warm, moist air, though tornadoes indirectly so. A tornado is a product of a thunderstorm.

A thunderstorm is a virtually any rain shower that produces thunder and lightning. So while a thunderstorm can produce damaging winds, most do not.

A tornado is a violently rotating column of air extending from the base of a thunderstorm to the ground. So by definition tornado must spin and be capable of producing damage. A tornado cannot occur on its own. Unlike thunderstorms, which can be self-sustaining, tornadoes need a parent storm to keep going. Tornadoes are also much smaller than thunderstorms, and are usually no more than a few hundred yards wide.