The most amazing and dangerous product of a severe thunderstorm is tornadoes and the definition of a tornado is "a strong, rotating column of air extending from the base of a cumulonimbus cloud to the ground." source: USA Today - The Weather Book, By Jack Williams) The winds produced by a tornado are incredible ranging in speed between 72 - 318 mph. These winds can destroy anything that's in the way. These winds are capable of ripping trees out of the ground, tossing vehicles hundreds of yards, completely leveling houses and making every day objects like tools and pieces of wood into missiles. There is a wind and damage scale for tornadoes called the Fujita scale, invented by a Japanese Scientist named Theodore Fujita.

Fujita scale:

 

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