If the tornado touches the ground, it collects dirt and forms a huge dust cloud around it and destroys everything that gets in the way. Some people from other regions call a tornado a twister or a cyclone. A tornado that forms over a river or ocean is called a waterspout. Tornadoes last less then one hour. Tornadoes travel twenty miles.
Most tornadoes occur in the United States.
They hit mostly in spring and early summer. About 700 tornadoes have been recalled briefly in the United States since the mid 1950's. A tornadoes strong winds can destroy buildings, rip trees from there roots and carry automobiles and other large things really far.