Why are some tornadoes more destructive than others?

Question

Why are some tornadoes more destructive than others?

Answer 1

some have faster winds, stay on the ground longer, and land near communities

Answer 2

Tornadoes come in different strengths.  They are rated from F0 to F5.  F0 can only do minor damage.  An F5 tornado can destroy everything.  

Answer 3

well if a storm is more powerfull...the tornadoe can be more powerful.

Answer 4

Alot of reasons come into play when determining how destructive a tornado was. First there are varying levels of strength like stronger wind speeds and stuff, in addition to that it would do more damage in a neighborhood than it would in a less developed area.

Answer 5

because some are bigger and faster  

Answer 6

I would say it's all about wind speed, the higher the speed of the wind, the more damage it will produce.

There are other things involved.

Check out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tornado

Wikipedia is your friend.

Answer 7

Actually Stan Deyo, proved that tornados are maintained in the vortex shape by electron motion called torus or toroidal motion, in that there is one stream of electrons traveling down and one traveling up the vortex at different amperes. He has written a book about this and other forces involved in motion. It is called: The Vindicator Scrolls

Answer 8

It depends on many factors.  One is location, and others involve temperature differences and moisture.  Small tornadoes come from basic thunderstorm activity.  These can take place anywhere in the USA, Europe and other countries.  

The huge tornadoes like an F-5 are specific to the vast, flat areas of the Midwestern USA like Oklahoma, Kansas, Iowa, and Texas.  This is where the most collisions of hot / warm moist air from the Gulf of Mexico collides with  the colder dry air coming from the North and Canada

There are a lot of factors here, but most of the time, the more extreme the temperature and moisture differences, the bigger and stronger a tornado can get.  Some are funnel clouds, and others and the big wedges that have been known to be 2 miles wide with winds in excess of 300 miles per hour.  

Answer 9

An EF0 tornado will likely damage trees but not substantial structures, whereas an EF5 tornado can rip buildings off their foundations leaving them bare and even deform large skyscrapers. The similar TORRO scale ranges from a T0 for extremely weak tornadoes to T11 for the most powerful known tornadoes. Doppler radar data, photogrammetry, and ground swirl patterns (cycloidal marks) may also be analyzed to determine intensity and award a rating.

Tornadoes vary in intensity regardless of shape, size, and location, though strong tornadoes are typically larger than weak tornadoes. The association with track length and duration also varies, although longer track tornadoes tend to be stronger.[44] In the case of violent tornadoes, only a small portion of the path is of violent intensity, most of the higher intensity from subvortices.[10]

Multiple vortex tornado

    A multiple vortex tornado is a type of tornado in which two or more columns of spinning air rotate around a common center. Multivortex structure can occur in almost any circulation, but is very often observed in intense tornadoes. These vortices often create small areas of heavier damage along the main tornado path.[3][7]

Satellite tornado

    A satellite tornado is a term for a weaker tornado which forms very near a large, strong tornado contained within the same mesocyclone. The satellite tornado may appear to "orbit" the larger tornado (hence the name), giving the appearance of one, large multi-vortex tornado. However, a satellite tornado is a distinct funnel, and is much smaller than the main funnel.[3]

A waterspout near the Florida Keys.

A waterspout near the Florida Keys.

Waterspout

    A waterspout is defined by the National Weather Service simply as a tornado over water. However, researchers typically distinguish "fair weather" waterspouts from tornadic waterspouts.

        * Fair weather waterspouts are less severe but far more common, and are similar in dynamics to dust devils and landspouts. They form at the bases of cumulus congestus cloud towers in tropical and semitropical waters. They have relatively weak winds, smooth laminar walls, and typically travel very slowly, if at all. They occur most commonly in the Florida Keys and in the northern Adriatic Sea.[15][16][17]

        * Tornadic waterspouts are more literally "tornadoes over water". They can form over water like mesocyclonic tornadoes, or be a land tornado which crosses onto water. Since they form from severe thunderstorms and can be far more intense, faster, and longer-lived than fair weather waterspouts, they are considered far more dangerous.[18]

A landspout near North Platte, Nebraska on May 22, 2004.

A landspout near North Platte, Nebraska on May 22, 2004.

Landspout

    Landspout (officially known as a dust-tube tornado) is a tornado not associated with a mesocyclone. The name stems from their characterization as essentially a "fair weather waterspout on land". Waterspouts and landspouts share many defining characteristics, including relative weakness, short lifespan, and a small, smooth condensation funnel which often does not reach the ground. Landspouts also create a distinctively laminar cloud of dust when they make contact with the ground, due to their differing mechanics from true mesoform tornadoes. Though usually weaker than classic tornadoes, they still produce strong winds and may cause serious damage.[3][7]  

Answer 10

yes