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.
Instruments that measure wind speed include anemometers, which typically consist of rotating cups or blades that turn in the wind. The speed of rotation correlates to the wind speed, providing a measurable output. Another device is the pitot tube, which measures the difference in air pressure created by the wind, allowing for wind speed calculations. Additionally, handheld wind meters are used for portable measurements in various settings.
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 typically form in severe thunderstorms when there is a significant change in wind speed and direction, known as wind shear. Wind speeds in a tornado can range from 65 mph to over 200 mph, with faster winds associated with more violent tornadoes.
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.
Wind speed estimates of an F2 tornado range from 113 to 157 mph. This was later adjusted to 111-135 mph for an EF2
Scientists usually use the severity of the damage a tornado causes to estimate its wind speed.
An EF3 tornado has estimated winds of 136-165 mph.
No wind measurements were taken from the Wichita Falls tornado, so the actual wind speed is not known. The tornado was rated F4 based on the severity of the damage it caused, which suggests peak wind speeds in the range of 207-260 mph. However, recent evidence suggests that the original Fujita scale used to rate this tornado may overestimate the wind speeds needed to inflict F3 and higher damage, so winds may not have been quite so fast.
The speed of the winds in a tornado is called the tornado's wind speed. It is usually measured using the Enhanced Fujita (EF) scale, which categorizes tornadoes based on the estimated wind speed. The wind speed can vary greatly depending on the tornado's intensity, with stronger tornadoes having faster wind speeds.
The average wind speed range for tornadoes is between 110 to 200 miles per hour. However, some tornadoes can have wind speeds exceeding 300 miles per hour, particularly the most intense ones known as EF5 tornadoes.
Wind speed in a tornado is usually estimated using the damage caused by the tornado's winds and the Fujita scale, which categorizes tornadoes based on their intensity. Meteorologists may also use Doppler radar data to estimate wind speeds within a tornado. Direct measurement of wind speed in a tornado is rare due to the dangerous and unpredictable nature of tornadoes.
Scientists use the severity of damage that a tornado causes to estimate wind speed.
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.