Hurricane and tornado are natural disasters that occur as a result of a sharp drop in pressure in the atmosphere. But what is the greatest danger - a hurricane or a tornado?
What is the difference between a hurricane and a tornado? It should be noted that both of these natural phenomena are united by the fact that they represent the rapid movement of the wind from one place to another.
Hurricane and tornado: what are their features
Typically, hurricanes occur in tropical latitudes and begin with a strong gust of wind. The hurricane covers an area from 150 to 600 km at a speed of 120-200 km per hour. In the center of the hurricane is the so-called "hurricane eye". In other words, it is a calm spot where there are no strong gusts of wind. The diameter of the "hurricane eye" can be from 5 to 20 km. If a person is in this center, it may seem to him that the hurricane is over, but when the natural disaster begins to move further, the wind will play out with no less force, while blowing in the absolutely opposite direction. Why is this happening? Because a hurricane, at its core, is a ring storm where the wind blows in the ring.
The tornado is also a ring storm, but more powerful and dangerous for everything around. The tornado does not exceed 2.5 km in diameter, but nevertheless it is more dangerous. As a rule, this natural phenomenon begins in those places where a thunderstorm is already heard, and the sky is surrounded by dark funnel-shaped clouds. A tornado can cover an area of only a few kilometers long and several hundred wide, but its power is so great that everything that comes in its way rises upward. If a hurricane can only pull out a tree together with a root or tear off the roof from a house, then a tornado not only tears out everything in its path, but also carries it hundreds of kilometers away.
Differences between a hurricane and a tornado
A hurricane, like a tornado, is a strong natural disaster, but the former is considered less dangerous. A tornado is capable of lifting up an object, the weight of which is measured not only in kilograms, but also in tons. After the tornado, unfortunately, nothing remains in the radius where it passed. Fortunately, not all territories are characterized by this powerful natural phenomenon. Why is a tornado so dangerous? Because if during a hurricane there is a quiet spot in its center, then during a tornado there is no such spot. The opposite is true here. In the center of the tornado, a so-called vortex funnel is formed with extremely low pressure inside. It is thanks to this funnel that all objects that meet on the path of the tornado are absorbed inside. Buildings that fall into the tornado's funnel can simply explode.
