What causes a tornado to form, how long does the average tornado last and how is it tracked?
Stephanie A. Smith, Reading, PA There are three ways a tornado can form from a particular pattern of winds in the lower atmosphere (supercell tornadoes), by overrunning a vortex that already exists in the atmosphere (a landspout), or by making a vortex from a strong wind downburst (a gust tornado or gustnado). The supercell tornado is the biggest and strongest, but the landspout is one of the most common. The gust tornado is a bit of a mystery especially as they frequently occur at night when they are hard to see.
