The United States experiences powerful storms every year. Hurricanes and tornadoes are the most destructive ones. Both come with heavy rain, chaos, and horrifying winds. They not only cause costly damage but also result in loss of life.
Though both tornadoes and hurricanes cause severe weather conditions, they are not the same. They both differ in destructive patterns, duration, size, and formation.
Hurricanes can continue for days, whereas tornadoes are compact. Understanding the difference between a tornado and a hurricane is not only interesting but also important for us to prepare for these seasons. For example, knowing how to respond and ensuring safety.
This article presents a quick comparison of a hurricane vs a tornado, highlighting the potential differences, listing valuable preparation guidelines, and much more.
What Is a Hurricane?
Massive tropical cyclones that come with low pressure forming over warm tropical waters are called hurricanes. These storms bring high-speed winds, spinning counter-clockwise. Moreover, intense thunderstorms are also part of hurricanes. They are categorized into five types: Category 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5. Category 1 hurricanes bring the least damage, whereas the ones belonging to Category 5 hurricanes are the most dangerous ones.
Hurricanes cause damage to areas hundreds of miles inland. At the same time, coastal communities are always at high risk. They may bring wind speeds of over 155 miles per hour that threaten hundreds of lives and damage costly infrastructure. Sometimes, hurricanes can cause storm surges to happen. They may also cause tornadoes, making the damage more intense.
Hurricane season typically lasts for six months: June 1 to November 30. A single storm can continue for a few days or weeks. If the situation is worse, you may experience power outages for days. If you live in a hurricane-prone area, make sure you get prepared in advance by arranging backup power sources (like fuel or solar generators) and stocking emergency supplies.
What Is a Tornado?
A rotating funnel of air that touches the cloud and the Earth's surface is known as a tornado. Thunderstorms usually form tornadoes, but they do not need lightning to happen. Tornado clusters are a reality, but they mostly occur one at a time. Different tornadoes may have different directions, speeds, lengths, and widths. At the same time, the damage path of a tornado can be 50 miles long and a mile wide.
Tornadoes can happen in any state in the US, but some areas are more prone. Tornado Alley spans the central part of the country, including Kansas, Nebraska, Texas, and Oklahoma. It also covers parts of other states, including Ohio, Illinois, Missouri, South Dakota, Indiana, and Iowa.
The bad thing about tornadoes is that they mostly develop rapidly, leaving not enough time for organized preparation and advanced warning. Tornadoes are of two levels when precautions are possible: watch and warning.
When a tornado watch is issued, it indicates that the atmosphere is favorable for a tornado to develop. As a resident, you should be on high alert and look for the latest updates. In contrast, a tornado warning is far more serious. It confirms that a tornado is detected on radar, and you must take immediate action.
Southern states remain at high risk between March and May, whereas eastern states usually experience tornadoes between late spring and early summer. The wind speed can be between 30 and 70 miles per hour.
What's the Difference Between a Hurricane and a Tornado?
Though tornadoes and hurricanes share some similarities, they are different based on various factors, including location, frequency, rotation, intensity, and lifespan. Let's compare a tornado vs a hurricane based on these factors.
1. Location
Warm ocean waters in the Northeast Pacific Ocean and the North Atlantic Ocean usually form hurricanes in the tropical zone. They may also occur in the South Pacific Ocean. They mostly affect the areas around the Caribbean Sea, like the eastern states of the US.
On the other hand, tornadoes have occurred on almost all continents except for Antarctica. The areas where warm and cold fronts converge are the most affected ones. The American Midwest is the prime example of such a region.
2. Frequency
Hurricane season records around 10 to 15 storms every year. In contrast, the US authorities record somewhere around 1,200 tornadoes annually, which is a huge number compared to hurricanes. Tornadoes usually appear in the fall and spring.
3. Intensity
The intensity of hurricanes is classified into five categories, considering their risk of damage and wind speed. As mentioned earlier, Category 1 means the hurricane will cause the least damage, whereas a Category 5 hurricane is the most horrifying, deadly, and costly.
Tornado intensity is measured on the Enhanced Fujita (EF) Scale. It measures wind speeds with 28 damage indicators and 8 degrees of damage. An EF0 tornado brings light damage, whereas EF4 is the most devastating and destructive.
4. Size
Hurricanes are huge and can cover hundreds of miles in diameter. The largest hurricane recorded so far was 1,380 miles (2,220 kilometers) in diameter. The size of tornadoes is far smaller than hurricanes. Still, their width can be hundreds of meters, causing severe destruction.
5. Lifespan
Hurricanes may continue for multiple days or weeks. This is why there are so many warnings. They are often formed long before they are felt, which means they can be monitored along the way. They give you the opportunity to evacuate (if needed) or prepare. On the other hand, tornadoes occur quickly, giving little to no warning and not enough time to prepare.
6. Wind Speed
Hurricanes bring winds at a speed of 74 to 155+ miles per hour, depending on their category. Whereas the wind speed during a tornado can be between 65 and 200 miles per hour. In extreme cases, it can be over 300 miles per hour.
How to Prepare for Hurricanes and Tornadoes?
Below is a list of some valuable tips you should follow to prepare yourself for tornadoes and hurricanes.
- Designate a Safe Space: Find the safest spot in your home, such as an interior room with no windows and doors. It can be a toilet closet, a linen closet, or a laundry room.
- Create a Communication Plan: Make sure your loved ones know how to get in touch with each other during hurricanes and tornadoes. Since uninterrupted communication is necessary, don't forget to give each family member a Renogy power bank to charge their multiple devices, like mobile phones and laptops.
- Build an Emergency Kit: It should include clean drinking water, nonperishable food, first aid supplies, a battery-powered radio, flashlights with extra batteries, and important documents.
- Get Alternative Power Sources Ready: Since hurricanes and tornadoes can cause power failures for extended periods, make sure you invest in portable power stations to provide your family members with a seamless backup power source.
- Know What to Do: Protect your doors, windows, and solar panels during the hurricane season, and getting to the safest and lowest point in your home is necessary when a tornado is detected.
Are Hurricanes Worse Than Tornadoes?
The primary difference between a tornado and a hurricane is their scale or size. A single tornado may have faster and more powerful winds than a hurricane, but the longer life and the larger size of a hurricane make it more devastating.
If you see it in an economic aspect, tornadoes cause ten times more damage than hurricanes. On the other hand, hurricanes result in more overall destruction during the season due to a variety of ways of damage and a longer duration.
Six out of seven hurricanes hit land during the 2021 Atlantic hurricane season. Hurricane Ida was the most destructive one, as it caused $65.25 billion in damage and 115 deaths. This loss is more than 2,000 tornadoes recorded worldwide in 2021.
Frequently Asked Questions
Has a hurricane ever hit a tornado?
Hurricanes can't hit tornadoes like two storms usually collide, but they can spawn tornadoes, usually in their outer rain bands after hitting the land.
Is a hurricane just one big tornado?
No, hurricanes and tornadoes are not the same type of storms, as they form and behave differently and cause different damage.
What's the difference between a hurricane and a cyclone?
They are both the same type of storm. However, their names change by region. "Cyclone" in the Indian Ocean and the South Pacific Ocean, and "hurricane" in the Northeast Pacific and the Atlantic.
Final Words
The comparison of hurricanes vs tornadoes shows that both storms bring powerful winds and damage, but they are different from each other in terms of size, location, intensity, lifespan, and frequency. Knowing the difference between the storms is not enough. You should also know what to do during the tornado and hurricane seasons.
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