How Does A Tornado Work

A tornado is a violently rotating column of air that forms from a cumulonimbus cloud when warm and cold fronts collide. It develops in three steps: first a wall cloud forms as hot, moist air meets cold air; then the downdraft causes the wall cloud to spiral and rotate; finally, a funnel-shaped cloud develops and picks up debris, officially becoming a tornado. Tornadoes can travel up to 72 kilometers per hour and come in three main types: supercell, landspout, and gustnado. The oldest recorded tornado occurred in 1884.