An F-5 tornado produces the most violent winds on earth, approaching speeds of 300 miles per hour. Tornadoes can last from a few minutes to more than an hour. A tornado can travel along the ground between a few hundred feet to more than 100 miles. Tornadoes travel along the ground at between 0 and 60 mph. A tornado only becomes a tornado when it touches the ground.
Waterspouts are usually weak.
They are most common along the Gulf Coast and southeastern states. A type of wind that is often confused for a tornado is a downburst and it's more concentrated version, a microburst. These are downward blowing winds that sometimes come blasting out of a thunderstorm. Downbursts can have winds as strong as an F2 to F3 tornado and cause damage similar to a tornado's. Downbursts and microbursts, however, blow debris straight away from a point on the ground.