What is a gustnado, and how does it differ from a tornado?

Question

I tried to google this information, but the results were full of meteorological/science-like jargon that I am very unfamiliar with.

Can someone help me, by breaking down what a gustnado is, and how it differs from a tornado?

In: 1

Answer 1

So the difference is that a gustnado doesn’t connect to a cloud.

For something to count as a tornado it has be to a vortex of air (a vortex means the air is spinning in a circle) that is tall enough that the top of that vortex reaches the clouds.

A gustnado *is* a vortex of air, but *not* one that is tall enough to be counted as a tornado.

This distinction is useful/important because without being tall a gustnado can’t last very long. A tornado can suck in more and more air and keep going, but since a gustnado can’t do that it will die pretty quickly.