what is the difference between a hurricane and a tornado?

Answer 1

hope this helps.Tornadoes and Hurricanes


Tornadoes and hurricanes are often confused. Think of The Wizard of Oz and it should cunjure up visions of one of these weather phenomenom. Do you know which one? (check the bottom of the page to see if you're right!).

Tornadoes

Tornadoes occur in most parts of the world. However they are most frequent over the continental plains of the USA.

Tornadoes are typically identified as a funnel of spiralling air descending from the base of clouds to the earth. The tornado is usually narrow, about 1/2 km wide and rarely does it move more than 20 km.

Like hurricanes the precise mechanism of how the funnel forms in not understood.

Hurricane

Tropical Storms start within 8º and 15º north and south of the equator where surface sea temperatures reach 27ºC. The air above the warm sea is heated and rises. This causes low pressure.


The weather system generates heat which powers the storm, causing wind speeds to increase. This causes the Tropical Storm to sustain itself. Tropical storms rely on plenty of warm, moist air from the sea - this is why they die out over land.

The central part of the tropical storm is known as the eye. The eye is usually between 30-50km across. It is an area of calm, with light winds and no rain. It contains descending air. Large cumulonimbus clouds surround the eye. These are caused by moist air condensing as it rises. Wind speeds average 160km per hour around the eye. You can read more about tropical storms here.

Hurricanes Tornadoes
Width 150km+ 1/2 km
Location 8º and 15º north and south of the equator Most parts of the world
Devlop over warm seas Develop over land and sea (they are known as water spouts over the sea)



Now click your red shoes and watch out for tornadoes carrying houses!

Answer 2

Hurricanes cause much much more damage and deaths than tornadoes. Hurricanes are storms that form over the tropic, they can be thousands of km in diameter. They pound storm surges, which causes most of the damage, flooding rain, and damaging winds. They can also cause tornadoes.

Tornadoes are funnels that touch the ground, they are only hundreds of meters wide with stronger winds, but no rain nor water. Tornadoes happen inside severe thunderstorms, the thunderstorms themselves may cause damage. So hurricanes exist on their on, they are a storm. Tornadoes exist inside a storm, they aren't a storm themselves.

Also, a tornado over water is called a waterspout.

Despite the fact that tornadoes pack stronger winds than hurricanes, hurricanes are much more deadly, why?

1. Tornadoes are famous for their winds, in hurricanes, winds aren't the headline
2. In hurricanes, storm surges and torrential rain are the main concern, in tornadoes, there aren't any of that.
3. Hurricanes occupy a much larger area than tornadoes.

Answer 3

OK they are two totally different things, and to all who argue a tornado on water is called a water spout! temperature in the air affects a tornado, temp of the water ( around 83 degrees) affects a hurricane. A hurricane cant form unless the water is a certain temp. that's why there are pretty solid on hurricane seasons. tornado's can occur year round.

Answer 4

Hurricanes are large whirling storms created over the ocean. Because they are so large, they are very devastating for a large area of land, but there winds are usually not as powerful as tornados. Tornados can form over land or water and are much much smaller....but there winds are more viscious and can cause amazing damage, much more damage to a single house that a hurricane can....Hurricanes over all cause more damage because they are so large. Hope this helps!

Answer 5

A hurrican is huge, created over a large body of water, feeds off of both air and moisture, can last for several days, path can be somewhat predicted, and blows out over land. A tornado is smaller, can appear over land and water, but mostly land, is fed by air pressure, only lasts a few minutes, is unpredictable, and goes wereever it wants. A hurricane can cause tornados to form, but a tornado can't form hurricanes.

Answer 6

A hurricane is a very powerful tornado.

Answer 7

A hurricane gets it's energy from the (warm) waters of it's location . It also must be going at about 60mph. A tornado gets it's energy from 2 fronts coming together.

Answer 8

A Hurricane (or typhoon) is a tropical cyclone, originates over the sea and usually moves inland. A tornado is much smaller and usually originates inland. There are a number of technical differences given at the website.

Answer 9

1st major one is tornado origionats on land and hurricane on water. hurricanes are a lot bigger and people have warning before they hit (days) compared to minutes for a tornado

Answer 10

A hurricanes is a large scale phenomenon, while a tornado is a lot smaller.