What is the difference between a tornado and a cyclone?
A tornado is a small-scale cyclonic circulation, and in the past, has been referred to as a cyclone. The term cyclone was used to describe anything that rotated counterclockwise, so often tornado (a small-scale cyclonic circulation) and cyclone were interchangeable. However, modern meteorology now restricts the use of the term to the larger-scale circulations — usually also accompanied by low pressure and bad weather. But, people still use it both ways.
