How fast does a tornado spin?

Tornadoes are known to have circulating winds that reach between 200 and 500 miles per hour. Tornadoes typically advance across ground in a northeast direction, and at a speed no more than 30 miles per hour.

The duration of a tornado varies between several hours to just a couple of minutes. Tornadoes take place throughout the United States, with the states of Oklahoma and Texas receiving the most tornadoes. Tornadoes are estimated to claim the lives of close to 100 people annually in the United States. Of the 800 to 1,200 tornadoes each year in the United States, only the minority of them happen in areas where people live.