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What are Hurricanes, Tornadoes and Whirlwinds? They are all rotating movements of air.
They are swirling, twirling, revolving, whirling,
spinning, twisting winds. What's the difference? The main difference is size. Hurricanes are huge. Hurricanes are enormous. They are vast storms which can be hundreds of kilometres across. A hurricane over Britain could easily cover the whole country. So remember: hurricanes are big beasties. Tornadoes are tiny compared with hurricanes, perhaps only
a few hundred metres across. They look like tall pillars
or funnels reaching up to the clouds. They are so small
that you can see them travelling along the ground. You
can watch as they come towards you, and breathe a sigh of
relief when they change direction and decide not to come
after you. But don't start thinking that they are
harmless. While a hurricane might knock you over, a
tornado could suck you up into the sky and spit you out
as if you were a rag doll. It could even suck up cars or
houses and smash them into pieces. Whirlwinds are tiny (although some people confuse things by calling tornadoes whirlwinds). They might only be a few metres wide and, apart from picking up grass, leaves, or soil, do not cause much damage.
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