Plural of “tornado”
This subtle difference in spelling makes no difference; you can use either. The plural of tornado is tornados or tornadoes.
Several tornados/tornadoes were reported across the plains.
The town was hit by a tornadoe last night.
Both are accepted plurals to mention more than one tornado, though tornadoes is the more commmon plural form.
Other words ending in -o / -es or -s
Like other singular nouns that end in –o, tornado adds –s or –es to convert to a plural noun. Other examples of words that use this pattern includes volcano/volcanoes/volcanos, echo/echoes/echos, mango/mangoes.
| Singular Noun (ending in -o) | Plural Form(s) |
|---|---|
| zero | zeroes or zeros |
| tornado | tornadoes or tornados |
| buffalo | buffaloes or buffalos |
| potato | potatoes |
| hero | heroes |
| volcano | volcanos or volcanoes |
It’s important to keep in mind that not all singular nouns ending in -o switch to a plural this way. Some just add -s, where others add -es (e.g., radio/radios, video/videos or hero/heroes).
What is a tornado?
Tornados are a naturally occurring phenomena that are mobile, destructive and a “vortex of violently rotating winds having the appearance of a funnel-shaped cloud and advancing beneath a large storm system.”
Tornado, tornados, tornadoes, in sentences
| Noun: tornado | Example sentences |
|---|---|
| tornado (singular) |
She burst in to the room like a tornado. A powerful tornado touched down in Evansville, Indiana. The building was badly damaged in a tornado. |
| tornadoes (plural) |
Tornadoes ripped into the southern United States yesterday. The storms produced tornadoes, which caused damage to both automobiles and homes. There are many stories of animals growing restless before tornados, storms and earthquakes. |
Quotes from the media with tornado
Southern California’s stormy week is set to wind down Friday after two storm systems that brought tornado warnings, heavy flooding and at-times historic rainfall rates, especially in parts of Ventura County.
—Jeremy Childs, LA Times, 22 Dec. 2023
The main hazards are expected to be damaging winds and a tornado threat, along with flooding.
—Kenton Gewecke, ABC News, 17 Dec. 2023
Severe thunderstorms that could bring isolated nocturnal tornadoes in parts of the state, including Tampa and Orlando, are also possible.
—Minyvonne Burke, NBC News, 16 Dec. 2023
Taylor Swift dipped into her considerable fortune to help those impacted by the deadly tornadoes that swept through Middle Tennessee Saturday.
—Meghan Overdeep, Southern Living, 13 Dec. 2023
Synonyms of tornado
| Category | Examples |
|---|---|
| synonyms: tornado | whirlwind, twister, windstorm, cyclone, storm, tempest, typhoon, funnel, gale |
Origin of the word “tornado”
1550s, ternado, navigator’s word for violent windy thunderstorm in the tropical Atlantic, probably a mangled borrowing from Spanish tronada “thunderstorm,” from tronar “to thunder,” from Latin tonare “to thunder”.
Practice: Forms of “Tornado”
The storm chasers followed several ______ across the plains last season.
A powerful ______ touched down just south of the city.
While less common, some people use the spelling ______ for the plural.
The weather alert warned of potential ______ in the area.
Did you see the funnel cloud of that ______?
FAQs
What’s the plural of “tornado”?
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Are both “tornados” & “tornadoes” correct?
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How do you spell tornado’s plural?
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Give examples of plural “tornado” use.
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What common mistake is made with “tornado” plural?
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Yash, D. "How to Use Tornado Plural (Tornadoes, Tornados?)." Grammarflex, Aug 30, 2025, https://grammarflex.com/tornado-plural/.
