Hurricanes and Tornadoes

Hurricanes and Tornadoes

Hurricanes and tornadoes are two of the most deadly storms which hit the United States every year. Often confused with each other, hurricanes and tornadoes contribute to numerous deaths and injuries each year. Hurricanes and tornadoes are similar and different in unexpected ways.

The experiences of living through a hurricane or tornado can be life changing. Both tornadoes and hurricanes destroy homes, businesses, and take people lives. Each type of storm has an eye. The eye of a hurricane or tornado is a region in the middle of the storm where the conditions are mild. There is little to no wind and there is no dangerous of destruction in the eye of the storm. Recovery from either storm can vary based on how bad the storm was. Repair for both can range from small exterior tasks to actually having to rebuild an entire house or business.

Most people believe that hurricanes are far more dangerous than tornadoes. This is usually due to the fact that hurricanes often get more time on the news. Tornadoes actually travel faster than hurricanes, moving close to 250 miles per hour. Most hurricanes travel 111 miles per hour or less. A major difference between hurricanes and tornadoes is that hurricanes have a much wider diameter than tornadoes. People affected by a hurricane will not be able to step outside of the hurricane and view it. People who are affected by a tornado can see the entire tornado come and go. Hurricanes are tracked, sometimes for months, allowing a great deal of time to prepare for its arrival. That is why southern states often have hurricane evacuation plans. States do not a have an evacuation plan for

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tornadoes. Tornadoes happen very suddenly and with little time most people who are victims of tornadoes can do very little to protect themselves from it.

Not only do the sizes of these storms differ, but also the appearance. Hurricanes are most often described as wet wind. Hurricanes are seen as clear or transparent. This contrasts strikingly with the appearance of a tornado. A tornado is a dark funnel shaped cloud which is not wet but dirty. Tornadoes are dirty because as they develop and move over land they pick up dirt and trash from the ground which gets incorporated into the cloud.

Hurricanes and tornadoes occur in different places. Hurricanes develop over the Atlantic Ocean and move upwards and hit land somewhere over the Gulf of Mexico. On average 10 hurricanes form every year. Many of these hurricanes develop but never hit land. However, when a hurricane does touchdown it usually affects the states along the southern coastline. Tornadoes occur east of the Rocky Mountains. Effecting the areas in the mid-west, great plains, and prairie states. Approximately, 800 tornadoes develop each year in the United States. Additionally, hurricanes usually