Hurricane Comparison
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 …show more content…
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. Hurricanes force the ocean water ahead of them to build into high waves known as 'storm surges'. Combined with the natural high tides, these surges can overwhelm coastal areas and cause widespread power outages and flooding. Tornadoes do not generate storm surges, but large hail may be a secondary problem victims face.
Tornadoes are measured by the Fujita scale- a system which assigns levels of destructive power based on post-storm assessments. This scale runs from an F-0 storm which causes little to no measurable damage all the way to an F-5 which can completely eliminate all structures in its path. Most tornadoes are in the F-1 to F-3 range, but these measurements are generally assessed AFTER the event. Estimating the power of a tornado while it is occurring can be very
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 …show more content…
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. Hurricanes force the ocean water ahead of them to build into high waves known as 'storm surges'. Combined with the natural high tides, these surges can overwhelm coastal areas and cause widespread power outages and flooding. Tornadoes do not generate storm surges, but large hail may be a secondary problem victims face.
Tornadoes are measured by the Fujita scale- a system which assigns levels of destructive power based on post-storm assessments. This scale runs from an F-0 storm which causes little to no measurable damage all the way to an F-5 which can completely eliminate all structures in its path. Most tornadoes are in the F-1 to F-3 range, but these measurements are generally assessed AFTER the event. Estimating the power of a tornado while it is occurring can be very