Dear Tom,
During the 1930s, storms with whirling winds were called cyclones. Why are these storms now called tornadoes?
Elliott Ziegenfuss, Keokuk, Iowa
Dear Elliott,
You are correct: Tornadoes in the United States used to be called cyclones. Well into the 20th Century, tornadoes were commonly referred to as cyclones because of their overwhelming tendency to spin cyclonically (counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere). Legend has it that in 1895, after a large outbreak of tornadoes ravaged your home state of Iowa, the Iowa State football team adapted the name “Cyclones,” which is still in use today. Modern meteorology generally restricts the term cyclone to large-scale low pressure circulations, which can be of either tropical or nontropical origin; and calls the small-scale, violent storms previously referred to as cyclones, tornadoes or twisters.
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Tom Skilling is chief meteorologist at WGN-TV. His forecasts can be seen Monday through Friday on WGN-TV News at noon and 9 p.m.
Write to: ASK TOM WHY, 2501 Bradley Pl., Chicago, IL 60618 or asktomwhy@wgntv.com (Mail volume precludes personal response.)
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