Weather Words: Satellite Tornado

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When one tornado isn’t terrifying enough, sometimes a storm produces a satellite tornado, which is a smaller twister that forms alongside a much larger, dominant tornado. These secondary tornadoes don’t spin off on their own but are part of the same parent supercell, caught in the chaotic dance of a powerful storm.

These satellite tornadoes often appear to orbit around the main tornado. They can briefly touch down and dissipate or persist for several minutes, adding to the overall destruction in the storm’s path.

Because they are part of the same storm system, satellite tornadoes make an already dangerous situation even worse. They can cause unexpected damage outside the core path of the main tornado, making forecasting and emergency response even more challenging. Recognizing the potential for satellite tornadoes is crucial in understanding the full impact of violent tornado outbreaks.

Jennifer Gray is a weather and climate writer for weather.com. She has been covering some of the world's biggest weather and climate stories for the last two decades.