Editing Tornado (section)

=== Size and shape ===
[[File:A Texas twister in Wichita County April 1964.jpg|thumb|[[1964 Wichita Falls tornado|This F5 rated tornado]] in [[Wichita Falls, Texas]] in April 1964, has a "rope" structure. This usually occurs when a tornado first forms or when a tornado ropes out and dissipates.]]
[[File:Greensburg tornado on the highway.jpg|thumb|286x286px|[[2007 Greensburg tornado|This nocturnal wedge EF5 tornado]] near [[Greensburg, Kansas]] in May 2007, has a "wedge" structure, these can reach widths of 1 mile or even 2 miles in rare occasions.]]
Most tornadoes take on the appearance of a narrow [[funnel]], a few hundred meters (yards) across, with a small cloud of debris near the ground. Tornadoes may be obscured completely by rain or dust. These tornadoes are especially dangerous, as even experienced meteorologists might not see them.<ref name="Handy Weather Answer Book"/>

Small, relatively weak landspouts may be visible only as a small swirl of dust on the ground. Although the condensation funnel may not extend all the way to the ground, if associated surface winds are greater than {{convert|40|mph|km/h|abbr=on|order=flip}}, the circulation is considered a tornado.<ref name="Advanced Spotter Guide"/> A tornado with a nearly cylindrical profile and relatively low height is sometimes referred to as a "stovepipe" tornado. Large tornadoes which appear wider than their cloud-to-ground height can look like large [[wedges]] stuck into the ground, and so are known as "wedge tornadoes" or "wedges".<ref name="wedge tornado"/> The "stovepipe" classification is also used for this type of tornado if it otherwise fits that profile. A wedge can be so wide that it appears to be a block of dark clouds, wider than the distance from the cloud base to the ground. Even experienced storm observers may not be able to tell the difference between a low-hanging cloud and a wedge tornado from a distance. Many, but not all major tornadoes are wedges.<ref name="wedge tornado">{{cite web|url=http://www.spc.noaa.gov/faq/tornado/binger.htm|title=Wedge Tornado|first=Roger|last=Edwards|author-link=Roger Edwards (meteorologist)|work=[[National Weather Service]]|publisher=National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration|date=2008-07-18|access-date=2007-02-28|archive-date=2021-05-11|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210511042056/https://www.spc.noaa.gov/faq/tornado/binger.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>

Tornadoes in the dissipating stage can resemble narrow tubes or ropes, and often curl or twist into complex shapes. These tornadoes are said to be "roping out", or becoming a "rope tornado". When they rope out, the length of their funnel increases, which forces the winds within the funnel to weaken due to [[conservation of angular momentum]].<ref name="thebible">{{cite journal|pages=57–58|journal=Bible of Weather Forecasting|volume=1|issue=4|title=27.0.0 General Laws Influencing the Creation of Bands of Strong Bands|last=Singer|first=Oscar|date=May–July 1985 }}</ref> Multiple-vortex tornadoes can appear as a family of swirls circling a common center, or they may be completely obscured by condensation, dust, and debris, appearing to be a single funnel.<ref name="rope tornado">{{cite web|url=http://www.spc.noaa.gov/faq/tornado/el_reno.htm|work=[[National Weather Service]]|publisher=National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration|date=2008-07-18|title=Rope Tornado|access-date=2007-02-28|first=Roger|last=Edwards|author-link=Roger Edwards (meteorologist)|archive-date=2007-07-11|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070711024223/http://www.spc.noaa.gov/faq/tornado/el_reno.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>

In the United States, tornadoes are around {{convert|500|ft|m}} across on average.<ref name="Handy Weather Answer Book"/> However, there is a wide range of tornado sizes. Weak tornadoes, or strong yet dissipating tornadoes, can be exceedingly narrow, sometimes only a few feet or couple meters across. One tornado was reported to have a damage path only {{convert|7|ft|m}} long.<ref name="Handy Weather Answer Book"/> On the other end of the spectrum, wedge tornadoes can have a damage path a mile (1.6&nbsp;km) wide or more. A [[2004 Hallam tornado|tornado that affected Hallam, Nebraska]] on May 22, 2004, was up to {{convert|2.5|mi|km}} wide at the ground, and [[2013 El Reno tornado|a tornado in El Reno, Oklahoma]] on May 31, 2013, was approximately {{convert|2.6|mi|km}} wide, the widest on record.<ref name="widest tornado" /><ref>{{cite web|title=May 31–June 1, 2013 Tornado and Flash Flood Event: The May 31, 2013 El Reno, OK Tornado|url=http://www.srh.noaa.gov/oun/?n=events-20130531-elreno|date=July 28, 2014|access-date=December 25, 2014|work=National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office|publisher=National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration|location=Norman, Oklahoma|archive-date=July 25, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150725013446/http://www.srh.noaa.gov/oun/?n=events-20130531-elreno|url-status=live}}</ref>