Access Millions of academic & study documents

Difference Between Hurricane and Tornado

Content type
User Generated
Subject
English
Type
Note
Showing Page:
1/2
Difference Between Hurricane and Tornado
By adhamsania1
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN HURRICANE AND TORNADO
It's easy to find similarities between the weather phenomenon, we call a hurricane and the one
we call a tornado. Both cause most of their damage through high winds and rain, and the arrival
of both can cause evacuations, emergency warnings and general chaos. But there are
numerous differences between the two weather systems, from the elements that form them to
the type of devastation they leave behind. The confusion between a tornado and a hurricane
may stem from a common nickname- cyclone. Technically speaking, a true cyclone is a
hurricane which forms in the Pacific Ocean. Some suggest that a cyclone is a high-pressure
storm system while a hurricane is a low-pressure storm system. When it refers to a tornado, it is
almost always a regional nickname, not an official designation. Tornadoes may also be called
twisters or funnel clouds.
A tornado is an isolated storm event which almost always forms ahead of a front. Certain storm
clouds begin to strengthen into 'super cells', and the collision between the high pressure and
low pressure systems causes the winds to circulate around each other. While the storms along
the front and the super cells appear on radar, tornados are rarely spotted until they've formed at
least a measurable circulation of air. Tornadoes can form quickly, touch down for a few minutes
and then spin back into the super cell. They may also remain on the ground, generating winds
up to 250+ miles per hour, and cover a large swath of land. Hurricanes, on the other hand, are
systems within themselves. The entire system forms from a low pressure system generally
located in the tropics. The heated ocean water serves as fuel for the cloud formations, which
slowly begin to form bands of rain clouds around the center of the low pressure. Pushed further
into the ocean by prevailing winds and the jet stream, a potential hurricane begins as a 'wave',
then a 'depression', followed by 'storm' when the sustained winds are between 39 and 74 miles
per hour. By this point, national meteorologists usually assigned a specified name to the
system, following an alphabetical progression. The first named tropical storm or hurricane
begins with A, the second with B and so on. Once the sustained winds reach 75 miles per hour,
the storm is officially a hurricane. Unlike a tornado, the formation of a hurricane can be detected
early and precisely measured throughout its life. Tornados in general can generate much
stronger winds than hurricanes, but do not last nearly as long. The damage from an average
tornado is limited to the actual path a funnel cloud took during the limited time it touched the
ground. The accompanying storm may cause additional damage through lightning strikes or
heavy rain, but the tornado itself causes the most trouble. Hurricanes pack high winds and
tremendous rains, but the long-term damage is often caused by the floods which proceed it.

Sign up to view the full document!

lock_open Sign Up
Showing Page:
2/2

Sign up to view the full document!

lock_open Sign Up
Unformatted Attachment Preview
Difference Between Hurricane and Tornado By adhamsania1 DIFFERENCE BETWEEN HURRICANE AND TORNADO It's easy to find similarities between the weather phenomenon, we call a hurricane and the one we call a tornado. Both cause most of their damage through high winds and rain, and the arrival of both can cause evacuations, emergency warnings and general chaos. But there are numerous differences between the two weather systems, from the elements that form them to the type of devastation they leave behind. The confusion between a tornado and a hurricane may stem from a common nickname- cyclone. T ...
Purchase document to see full attachment
User generated content is uploaded by users for the purposes of learning and should be used following Studypool's honor code & terms of service.
Studypool
4.7
Indeed
4.5
Sitejabber
4.4