EARTH SCIENCE > ATMOSPHERE > ATMOSPHERIC PHENOMENA > TORNADOES
Definition:
A small mass of air (whirlwind) that spins rapidly about an almost vertical axis and forms a funnel cloud that contacts the ground; appears as a pendant from a cumulonimbus cloud and is potentially the most destructive of all weather systems.
Reference:
Glossary of Weather and Climate, American Meteorological Society, 1996.
