human
What is the difference between a tornado and a twister?
assistant
A tornado is a rapidly rotating column of air that is in contact with both the surface of the earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, less commonly, the base of a cumulus cloud. Tornadoes usually have a diameter of a few hundred meters and can reach wind speeds of up to 300 mph (480 km/h). A twister, on the other hand, is a generic term for any violently rotating column of air that is not associated with a thunderstorm. Twisters are typically much smaller than tornadoes and do not produce tornado-like rotation.