It takes particularly intense or unseasonable heat for a tornado to occur. As surface temperatures rise, moist air heats up and begins to rise.
When this moist, warm air meets the dry, cold air above, thunder clouds begin to form.
These clouds can develop quickly and bring rain, thunder, and lightning.
Winds blowing from different directions cause the air to rotate, which then causes a visible cone or funnel to fall from the cloud toward the ground.
Tornadoes can be hundreds of meters wide. They can last from a few seconds to over an hour and can travel tens of miles.
The Fujita scale is used to determine the intensity of a tornado. The highest rating, F5, is used to classify tornadoes traveling at speeds of up to 511 kilometers per hour (318 mph).
These tornadoes can cause massive damage, blowing away vehicles and wiping away sturdy buildings.
