<P> If a funnel cloud touches the ground it becomes a tornado . Most tornadoes begin as funnel clouds , but many funnel clouds do not make ground contact and so do not become tornadoes . Also , a tornado does not necessarily need to have an associated condensation funnel -- if strong cyclonic winds are occurring at the surface ( and connected to a cloud base , regardless of condensation ) , then the feature is a tornado . Some tornadoes may appear only as a debris swirl , with no obvious funnel cloud extending below the rotating cloud base . </P>
<P> If a funnel cloud touches the ground it becomes a tornado . Most tornadoes begin as funnel clouds , but many funnel clouds do not make ground contact and so do not become tornadoes . Also , a tornado does not necessarily need to have an associated condensation funnel -- if strong cyclonic winds are occurring at the surface ( and connected to a cloud base , regardless of condensation ) , then the feature is a tornado . Some tornadoes may appear only as a debris swirl , with no obvious funnel cloud extending below the rotating cloud base . </P>
when does a funnel cloud become a tornado
when does a funnel cloud become a tornado
If a funnel cloud touches the ground
If a funnel cloud touches the ground