This amounts to 8,000,000 a day. A typical tornado only moves forward at 20 mph, but its internal winds can reach speeds of up to 300mph. A tornado is an extremely destructive and localized whirlwind that descends from the base of an extremely strong thunderstorm. These tornadoes killed 315 people and injured 5,484. The size of a tornado is not necessarily an indication of its intensity.
Large tornadoes can be weak and small ones can be violent.
The Fujita Scale is the scale for classifying tornadoes. It is based upon damage, not appearance. A tornado watch is set when the conditions are such that tornadoes are likely to develop. A tornado warning is issued when a tornado has been sited or indicated on the radar. Tropical Storms and hurricanes are given names to avoid confusion when meteorologists are following more than one storm at the same time.