Tornado. Funnel cloud of a tornado seen between two electricity pylons. A tornado consists of a violently rotating column of air below a thundercloud. The tornado is visible because of the dust it picks up and the condensation of water droplets within it. Tornadoes can cause much destruction to property. The rotating air has a speed of 480 kilometers an hour or more. The width of the destructive path is usually a few hundred meters. The tornado moves along with its parent cloud, its path length may exceed 100 kilometers. Photographed in Kansas, USA, during spring. Tornadoes can occur at any time of the year, but the peak season of occurrence varies with the location.