Plural of tornado; violent rotating columns of air that touch the ground, causing extreme destruction.
From Spanish 'tronada' (thunderstorm) blended with 'tornado' (turned), via Portuguese and Spanish traders. The word combined storm imagery with the Spanish concept of turning/rotating.
Tornadoes spin faster than any other natural phenomenon on Earth—some reach over 200 mph. The fact that they're so rare in most places but concentrated in 'Tornado Alley' (USA) is because of specific geography and weather patterns.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.