Hurricane vs. Tornado: How They Differ From Each Other and Preparation Tips

Hurricanes and tornadoes both bring destruction to human life and infrastructure. However, they're not the same beast. Sure, they freak us out in similar ways; cue the scary weather alerts and people rushing for batteries. But the science behind each is pretty different.

Understanding the basics of the difference between a hurricane and a tornado could mean the difference between scrambling at the last minute and actually having a plan. We'll walk you through what makes hurricanes tick and what sets tornadoes spinning and toss in some must-know advice on prepping for the worst.

What Is a Hurricane?

Hurricanes are massive, swirling monster storms brewing up over steamy, tropical oceans. They just wait for the right combo to form, which is warm water, a little nudge from a passing weather disturbance, and not too much wind around up top. At the center is the eye, a calm zone with clear skies caused by sinking air, surrounded by the eyewall, where the fiercest winds and rain occur.

That's where you'll find the wildest winds and the heaviest rain. From space, hurricanes look like giant rolls with bands of storms spiraling out for miles. However, once they hit cooler water or stumble onto land, they start to fizzle out fast.

What Is a Tornado?

A tornado is a wild, spinning column of air dropping down from a thunderstorm, looking like the universe just poked a finger out of the sky. Sometimes it's skinny like a rope, sometimes it's a wedge tearing up the ground. You don't always see the column unless it's loaded up with dirt, leaves, or whatever it scoops up.

Tornadoes form over land (or water as waterspouts) from severe thunderstorms, often where warm and cold air meet, like in the U.S. Central Plains. They need strong wind shear and unstable air. Though they might not last long and they're way smaller than hurricanes, they can absolutely wreck a place in no time.

Hurricane vs. Tornado: What's the Difference?

There's a clear difference between a hurricane and a tornado, not just in size, but in how they're born, their size, how long they stick around, you name it. Here we've explained each major distinction in detail:

1. Formation Process

Hurricanes brew up over warm ocean water (at least 26.5°C (about 70°F), usually not too far from the Equator, somewhere between 5° and 20° latitude. They are created in stages. First, a group of thunderstorms appears over warm ocean water near the equator.

As winds start to spin (at least 23 mph), it becomes a tropical depression. Then, it's just your run-of-the-mill tropical storm once the winds hit 39 mph, and that's when it gets a name. But once those winds crank up to 74 mph or more, now it's a hurricane, complete with an eye in the middle and a wall of chaotic storm swirling around it.

On the other hand, tornadoes pop up during strong thunderstorms, especially supercells. Basically, when winds twist and turn with height, they create this spinning column in the air. The storm's updraft grabs that spin, flips it upright, and next thing you know, there's this funnel cloud. If it touches down, it's a tornado.

2. Size

Hurricanes are absolute monsters. We're talking 60 miles wide at their smallest, but they can balloon out to over 1,000 miles across, like, imagine a storm taking up half a continent. The record's something wild, like 1,380 miles. Tornadoes are tiny in comparison. Most of them are skinny columns, maybe 250 feet wide, unless you get a “wedge” tornado, which can stretch out over a mile wide.

3. Lifespan

Lifespan-wise, hurricanes can hang around for days, sometimes weeks, just lumbering their way across oceans and continents. Hurricane John, for example, kept going for an insane 31 days. Tornadoes, on the other hand, pop up for 10 or 20 minutes, and then peace out, covering 10 or 20 miles. But the strongest ones can stay on the ground for more than 62 miles. Of course, there's a record-breaker, the 1925 Tri-State Tornado that stayed on the ground for three and a half hours and carved a path of destruction for 219 miles.

4. Wind Speed

Hurricanes get slapped into categories, 1 through 5, based on their wind strength and the damage risk. Category 1 starts at 74-95 mph while Category 5 is 157+ mph. While tornadoes use the Enhanced Fujita (EF) Scale, which goes from EF0 (at 40 mph) up to EF5, where winds can blast past 300 mph. Tornadoes can be way more intense, but the insanity only lasts a few minutes.

5. Areas of Occurrence and Seasonality

Hurricanes hang around the Atlantic, the Northeast Pacific, and the South Pacific, especially around the Caribbean and along the Gulf and East coasts of the US. Their season is basically June through November in the US, but they strike more in August through October.

Tornadoes, though, hit the “Tornado Alley” from Texas up to Ohio. But they don't just strike America. You'll catch them in South Africa, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Bangladesh, eastern India, Japan, the Philippines, and even places like Uruguay and Argentina. They are most common from March to June, based on different areas, but can happen any time of year.

Quick Comparison Table: Hurricane vs. Tornado

Impact of Hurricanes and Tornadoes

Hurricanes roll in with a whole arsenal: flooding, storm surges (basically the ocean just crashing into your neighborhood), monster winds, and random items flying through the air. Houses lose roofs, windows shatter, and even the foundation can give out if you're unlucky and close to the coast.

Roads wash out, bridges snap, and the power vanishes for days, weeks, or who knows? The bills stack up fast, e.g., a whopping $294.92 billion hit just in 2017, and when the water starts rising, you've got to bail, evacuate, or risk it.

Tornadoes, on the other hand, drop in, tear up everything in their path—roofs gone, walls caved in, trees ripped up like weeds, and power lines out cold. Mobile homes also don't stand a chance. Though tornadoes don't cover as much ground as hurricanes, where they hit, it's bad news.

Even though each event is smaller, they've racked up more deaths over the years than hurricanes or even earthquakes. On average, tornadoes kill 56 people a year, while hurricanes kill 47. Price tag's rough too, about $2.4 billion per tornado event, versus $22.2 billion for hurricanes. Also, tornadoes hit way more often. Since 1980, there have been 163 billion-dollar tornado events, compared to just 60 hurricanes.

But the bottom line is that whether it's a hurricane or a tornado, you can't just wing it. You have to prep before, or you'll regret it. However, depending on which area you live in, whether it's hurricane- or tornado-prone, your preparation would be different.

How to Prepare Before/During the Storm?

Hurricanes require long-term planning with more focus on evacuating and prevention against flooding. Whereas tornadoes come with little warning, about 10 to 15 minutes, so immediately sheltering in place is vital. Here's how to prepare for both before and during the storm:

Before the Storm:

1. Home Preparation

First off, about the house. Install storm shutters, or just slap plywood over the windows if you're in a pinch. Secure the roof with straps or clips, as you don't want the thing peeling off like a sardine can. Also, get your electrical panels and HVAC up off the ground as a prevention against flooding. Clean out the gutters to prevent water buildup, and anything outside that isn't nailed down (chairs, trash cans), drag it inside, or it's gone.

2. Food & Medical Supplies

For both hurricanes and tornadoes, prepare a go-bag with three days' worth of food, meds, and a first aid kit as a bare minimum. Make sure the food is non-perishable, like canned goods, dry staples (e.g., granola and protein bars, dried fruit, etc), powdered milk, electrolyte drinks, etc. Toss in some water bottles, juice boxes, shelf-stable pudding cups, applesauce pouches, peanut butter crackers, or whatever keeps you going. If you've got a dog or cat, keep their food too.

3. Evacuation Plan

Figure out if you're in a flood or storm surge zone (maps are everywhere online). Have at least two ways out, because you just know the main road will be closed when you need it most. Also, stash your important papers in something waterproof, and pack a flashlight, batteries, a phone charger, and some actual cash, as ATMs might not be available.

4. Insurance Cover

Regular home insurance doesn't cover flooding, so you'll need a separate National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) policy. Also, check your coverage for wind damage, especially if you live in a hurricane or tornado zone, as deductibles may be high. Make sure to take pics or videos of your items now to help with insurance claims, before they're soggy or blown to Oz.

5. Shelter Identification

Get to a FEMA-approved shelter or a basement if a tornado is coming. If there is no basement, find the tiniest, windowless room on your lowest floor, like a bathroom or closet.

6. Emergency Alerts

Don't be that person who gets blindsided by a tornado because you were scrolling TikTok instead of checking the weather. Grab yourself a NOAA weather Radio (NWR), the kind you can crank by hand or just pop some batteries in. You can also get your local NWR station and frequency on the National Weather Service site.

In addition, turn on Wireless Emergency Alerts on your phone. You can also get notifications through apps like FEMA, Red Cross, or local weather apps. Other than that, you can call FEMA directly on their hotline (1-800-621-3362) in case of a disaster, and prepare yourself with the Red Cross's preparation guidelines.

During the Storm: Emergency Backup Power

The storm can knock out grid stations, so the power outage can last for many hours to days. Thus, having a power backup in your shelter or wherever you're evacuating to is a must during a hurricane or tornado. We recommend having a portable power station, as it's easier to carry, can be placed inside due to zero emissions, and provides a noiseless operation. BLUETTI AC180 and Apex 300 are outstanding examples of portable power stations.

The BLUETTI AC180 with 1,800W output and 1,152Wh capacity is ideal for small outages and can be charged in your car during evacuations. For heavy appliances, it includes a 2,700W Power Lifting Mode. However, you can expand its capacity up to 4,224 Wh using expansion batteries and monitor everything through the BLUETTI app. The unit powers up quickly, up to 80% in 45 minutes with AC input, and also supports charging via solar, car, generator, or wall outlet.

For long outages spanning many days due to a hurricane or tornado, the BLUETTI Apex 300 is a powerhouse. It offers 3,840W output (up to 7,680W with two units) and stores between 2,764.8Wh to 58kWh. This is enough to juice up your heavy appliances like a fridge and space heater, along with crucial items like Wi-Fi, laptops, phones, radios, and CPAPs.

The unit also provides instant backup power with 0ms switchover and includes weather alerts and auto-charging in bad weather. It supports solar (up to 30 kW with SolarX 4K), generator, or AC charging and charges fast, up to 80% in 45 minutes.

FAQs

Can a tornado turn into a hurricane?

No. Tornadoes and hurricanes are totally different storms. Tornadoes come in quick, wild bursts, usually spinning up over land from a thunderstorm, lasting a few minutes. Whereas hurricanes are massive, slow-moving storms born over warm ocean water, lasting for days.

Is an EF5 tornado worse than a Category 5 hurricane?

EF5 tornadoes can have winds that'll rip the bark off trees and launch cars like toys. But they only cut a narrow path. While Category 5 hurricanes are more like a bulldozer that just keeps coming, huge and relentless, with flooding, wind, storm surge, the whole shebang. You can patch up after a tornado more easily than after a hurricane that trashed an entire coastline.

What state has never had a tornado?

Alaska. It's way too chilly and stable weather up there for tornadoes. But every other state has seen at least one, even Hawaii and Vermont.

Which lasts longer, a hurricane or a tornado?

The Hurricanes win this one by days. They can just linger, spinning over the ocean or slamming into land for a week or more (e.g., Hurricane John). Whereas most tornadoes are gone in under twenty minutes. However, the record is, like, three and a half hours for the longest tornado.

Final Word

Hurricanes vs tornadoes, yeah, both are terrifying, but they're like apples and oranges in comparison. Hurricanes take their sweet time to form, and you usually get days of warning and enough time to pack up. Tornadoes, on the other hand, are unpredictable and can show up with little to no warning.

Anyway, the point is, wherever you live, don't play around with Mother Nature. Stock up on emergency gear like batteries, phone chargers, food, and medical supplies; check your storm zone, and sign up for weather alerts. You also must have a backup power plan, like a portable power station. The BLUETTI AC180 home backup with 1,800W output is excellent for small outages, and you can also extend its capacity with expansion batteries.

But if the power's out for ages, the BLUETTI Apex 300 with 3,840W is good for it. It'll run heavy appliances like your fridge and space heater, along with crucial devices. You can also expand the power up to 7,680W with two units. When you have either the AC180 or the Apex 300, you won't go without power through any storm.