A tornado may be in close proximity to sunshine, or it may be totally enshrouded in heavy rain.

Sometimes the air before a twister hits is eerily calm; in other cases strong, gusty winds are followed by a tornado.

Large hail and tornadoes can be produced by the same thunder storm. However, many hailstorms are not accompanied by tornadoes, and vice versa.

While many tornadoes move from a southwest direction, they also travel from other directions such as west or northwest.

Twisters can take a variety of not only sizes but also shapes; from the traditional Wizard-of-Oz like funnel, to snake like “multiple vortexes”, from a drawn out roped shaped to a wide churning, “smoky” appearance.

The Sound of a tornado has been likened to that of a freight train or jet engine, but there is no guarantee that you will hear such a noise before it is too late.
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