Tornadoes are extremely dangerous columns of rotating air that can deliver major wind damage. While the most deadly and common tornadoes are spawned from severe thunderstorms, there are actually a variety of tornado types and shapes. Let’s take a deeper look into tornado types and shapes.

Supercell tornadoes are the most classic, well-known type of tornado. These tornadoes form as winds above the ground blow at different speeds or directions, causing a rotation of the air. Once air begins to rise from the ground, warm, moist air can flow into the rotating column of air, helping to form a tornado. Supercell tornadoes are often the most violent and dangerous.
Non-supercell tornadoes are associated with squall lines. Tornadoes can develop within notches of thunderstorm lines. Nearly twenty percent of tornadoes are associated with squall lines. On average, these tornadoes are weaker and have a shorter duration compared to their supercell counterparts.
Landspouts and waterspouts are very thin rope-like funnels that form while there is no rotating updraft. Instead, the spinning motion forms near the ground and a funnel of rain and wind forms. Waterspouts form the same as landspouts but are found over water.
Gustnadoes form along the leading edge of a storm front or squall line as cool air that sweeps away from a storm. Debris and dirt are picked up and spun in a whirl-like motion. Unlike a landspout, gustnadoes don’t contain any moisture or rain.
Dust Devils are most common on sunny, hot afternoons when there is a large temperature difference between the surface temperature and temperature of air a couple hundred feet above the surface. Dust is often seen lifting from the ground as the dust devil forms. These types of tornadoes only last a few minutes but can reduce visibility dramatically.
Fire Whirls are very rare but are mainly associated with wildfires triggered by dry conditions and gusty winds. A lightning strike that leads to a billowing fire can also produce a fire whirl. They also form due to large temperature differences between the ground fire and cooler air aloft. Rising air in combination with small circulations above the ground create rotation. Fire whirls usually are quite narrow, and as much as 3 feet wide and 100 feet tall.

Tornadoes also come in a variety of shapes depending on how strong they are or how they form.

Rope Tornadoes are some of the most common types of tornadoes as most tornadoes begin their brief life cycles as rope tornadoes. These tornadoes feature narrow condensation funnels that twist and turn between the sky and the ground like a rope.
Cone and Stovepipe tornadoes are more mature and stronger and generally persist longer than weaker rope tornadoes. Cone tornadoes are wider at the base of the associated storm and narrower at the ground, while stovepipe tornadoes are nearly cylindrical from the base of the storm to the ground.
Wedge Tornadoes are the largest and most destructive tornadoes as they have large bases that can exceed a mile-wide in some instances. These tornadoes can appear wider than they are tall. Wedge tornadoes are typically long lasting and violent. Most tornadoes that end up with a rating exceeding EF-3 on the enhanced Fujita scale are wedge tornadoes.
Multiple Vortex Tornadoes contain multiple vortices rotating around the main tornado. These vortices generally occur in groups of two to five and are responsible for narrow zones of catastrophic destruction adjacent to areas with just minimal damage. These tornadoes can be difficult to identify as condensation and debris can obscure the multiple vortices.

With severe weather becoming more frequent as we head into the spring and summer months, be sure to have access to the latest weather warnings. If a tornado warning is issued, be sure to take shelter in the lowest level of your home and stay away from rooms with windows.
----------
Story Image: One of a pair of tornadoes that touched down near Pilger, Neb. On Monday, June 16, 2014. Mark 'Storm' Farnik/Associated Press

Types of Tornadoes