Sometimes you can't see a funnel, but if there is storm damage on  the ground, it is considered a tornado. Sometimes big storms can kick up dust even when there's no tornado, so it can be confusing. If there is circular movement in the cloud above the dust, then it also may be a tornado. 

Most tornadoes last only 5 or 10 minutes, but some have been known to last more than an hour. They usually move 10-20 miles per hour, but can move much faster, or stay still for a bit. Winds can reach over 300 mph!

Close to 1,000 tornadoes are reported every year in the United States. Most, but not all, tornadoes in the northern hemisphere spin counter-clockwise. In the southern hemisphere, for example, Australia, it usually spins the other way. 

A tornado over water is called a waterspout. They are formed out of quickly growing cumulus (puffy) clouds or storms. They are usually weaker than land tornadoes, but they can still cause damage and flip boats. 

Tornadoes occur mostly during the spring and summer. They usually occur during the late afternoon and early evening. However, they have been known to occur in every state in the United States, on any day of the year, and at any hour. The most famous and active place for tornadoes is Tornado Alley in the United States.. It starts in Texas and goes up through Oklahoma, Kansas, and Nebraska, and up to the Dakotas. Warm, moist air from the Gulf of Mexico clashes with cold air from the north to form tornadoes. Tornadoes often start where two different kinds of air masses meet, such as dry and moist, or cold and warm.

If a tornado watch is issued for your area, that means conditions are favorable for the formation of tornadoes. If a tornado warning is issued, that means that a tornado has been spotted. Take the warning seriously! 

In an average year, 800 tornadoes are reported nationwide, resulting in 80 deaths and over 1,500 injuries.

Tornado Myths (These are NOT true!)

• If you are in a car, stay under an overpass for protection. You never want to be above ground level. You should get out of your car and seek protection somewhere else.
• Open the windows in your house to protect it from being destroyed. A powerful tornado will destroy it anyway. People thought opening a window helped equalize the pressure, but a house had enough "holes" to do this without opening a window. If you open a wrong window, you can help the tornado to do more damage! If you are in your house, go to the basement, if you have one. If you don't, go to a room in the middle of your house without windows on the first floor of your home. Bathrooms and closets are good choices.
• Tornadoes never strike a city. St. Louis, located in "Tornado Alley" has been hit with many tornadoes, as have many other cities. The probability of a violent tornado in the downtown area of any large city is about once in a thousand years. 
• The southwest corner of a basement is the safest place to be during a tornado. You need to stay in the side of your house that is opposite from where the tornado will hit.