Tornado winds range from 65 mph to over 300 mph.
No, a tornado is a violent, rotating wind storm. The funnel cloud formed by a tornado is usually small compared with other clouds.
It could be any of a whirlwind, tornado, hurricane, cyclone, twister, vortex or dust devil.
There was never a "mother ship tornado." The thunderstorms that most often spawn tornadoes, called supercells, will sometimes take on a "mothership" shape, with clouds that appear to consist of stacked disks. Without more specific information, is is impossible to know which event this question refers to.
The main tool is Doppler radar, which can remotely measure wind speed and direction. This can be used to find rotation in a storm associate with a possible tornado. Another, recently developed tool is dual-polarized radar. Unlike conventional radar, this radar can distinguish between rain, hail, and tornadic debris.
Tornadoes can vary in speed from stationary to over 70 mph. Speeds in the range of 25 to 35 mph are the most common.
Wind speed estimates of an F2 tornado range from 113 to 157 mph. This was later adjusted to 111-135 mph for an EF2
The average tornado is 50 yards wide and has wind in the range of 70 to 90 mph.
The wind speed of a tornado is inferred from the severity of the damage it inflicts.
The estimated wind speed of an EF0 tornado is 65-85 mph.
In most cases the wind speed of a tornado is estimated based on the severity of the damage it causes.
The Xenia, Ohio tornado of 1974 never actually had its wind speed measured as we did not have the necessary technology at the time. However, based on damage the tornado was rated F5, the highest category on the Fujita scale, which would put estimated winds in the range of 261-318 mph. Even considering the fact that this scale overestimated wind speed, that would still put the Xenia tornado's wind speed at well over 200 mph.
The actual maximum wind speed for a tornado is not known. The strongest wind ever recorded in a tornado was 302 mph.
The average tornado probably has peak winds in the range of 85-110 miles per hour, corresponding to an EF1 tornado. The tornadoes that cause major damage are stronger, but less common.
No wind measurement was obtained from that tornado. However based on damage analysis the tornado was rated F3. Based on the improved wind estimates of the Enhanced Fujita scale that means the tornado probably had peak winds in the range of 140 to 165 mph.
Scientists usually use the severity of the damage a tornado causes to estimate its wind speed.
An average wind speed in a tornado would likely be in the range of 80 to 110 mph. However, the tornadoes that cause major damage generally gave winds over 150 mph. These major events account for about 5% of all tornadoes.
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.