What is the smallest, largest, and average size?
Tornadoes can vary significantly in size and intensity. Thus, the easiest way to answer this question is to assess the size of the damage path. However, the term “average” can be misleading, since the majority of tornadoes are small compared to the infrequent large events. With this said, the typical tornado damage path is about one or two miles, with a width of around 50 yards. The largest tornado path widths can exceed one mile, while the smallest widths can be less than 10 yards. Widths can even vary considerably during a single tornado, since its size can change during its lifetime. Path lengths can range from a few yards to more than 100 miles. A key point to remember is that the size of a tornado is not necessarily an indication of its intensity. Large tornadoes can be relatively weak, while small tornadoes occasionally can be violent.
