Tornadoes and hurricanes may be similar in that they both have extreme winds circulating around a their center that can cause damage. That’s just about where the similarities end.
Tornadoes, are defined by the National Weather Service as:
“A violently rotating column of air, usually pendant to a cumulonimbus, with circulation reaching the ground. It nearly always starts as a funnel cloud and may be accompanied by a loud roaring noise. On a local scale, it is the most destructive of all atmospheric phenomena.” Winds in the strongest tornadoes can top 300 mph.
Hurricanes are powerful storms that develop in a circular pattern over warm ocean waters. Hurricane winds are 74 mph or faster with category 5 hurricanes producing winds of 157 mph or higher. This year we witnessed hurricane Irma which is one of the strongest hurricanes on record produce winds of 185 mph.