Tornadoes are narrow (perhaps fewer than several hundred metres) but strong, often twice the power of a hurricane, causing intense localised damage. They are caused by rising columns of warm air pushed along by a strong wind.They reach tremendous heights and are usually accompanied by funnel-shaped clouds. They are sometimes called twisters or whirlwinds, although the latter term can refer to any small-diameter column vortex of fast-swirling air.

The strongest come with thunderstorms, and are fuelled by humid air reacting with the towering cumulonimbus cloud which often stand 16,000m high in the tropics in a more intense repeat of the hurricane process.

Updrafts at the centre of a tornado will suck up objects in their path. These can range from dust or water to animals, people, masonry and vehicles, if the force is strong enough. Once the wind dies down, objects collected on its way may be deposited — bringing some gruesome fallout raining down from the sky.