tornado

A weather phenomenon characterized by a concentrated, rotating mass of air producing powerful, often damaging winds. In nature, tornadoes are normally spawned from severe thunderstorms or tropical cyclones under specific, complex meteorological conditions. While tornadoes can spawn virtually anywhere in the world, they are most common in America, with the majority occurring in two principal areas: Tornado Alley, famously stretching across the plains of the central US, and Dixie Alley, comprising portions of the American southeast. In fiction, tornadoes can be deliberately spawned by individuals or devices capable of controlling the wind or weather.