Three types of storms are tornados, hurricanes, and tropical storms.

A tornado is a small and short-lived but very severe windstorm. They often accompany thunderstorms, rain, and hail and have whirling columns of air and wind speeds up to 300 mph. They can cause tremendous damage. The diameter of an average tornado is between 500 and 2,000 feet, and the average tornado moves along the ground at 28 mph. In the United States, approximately 750 tornadoes are reported every year.

A hurricane is a huge tropical rainstorm with winds that swirl around a calm, dry central "eye." Wind speeds must be more than 74 mph for a tropical storm to be classified as a hurricane. The average diameter of a hurricane is 375 miles and extends up 40,000 feet above the ocean. A hurricane can do great damage if it hits land. On average, five hurricanes each year threaten the eastern and southern United States.

A tropical storm is a storm that forms over the ocean in the tropics and has winds between 39 and 73 miles per hour. Often when they move onto land, they lose strength.