Final answer:
A tornado is the correct answer to the question, identified as a violent windstorm with a funnel of rotating air that touches down from a cloud to the Earth's surface. It is distinct from a hurricane, which is a tropical cyclone with strong winds and rain that forms over the ocean.
Step-by-step explanation:
A tornado is a type of windstorm characterized by a funnel of rotating air that descends from a storm cloud and reaches Earth's surface, often accompanied by violent winds that can reach speeds up to 500 km/h. Tornadoes are unique for their intense rotational motion which arises from severe thunderstorms, specifically supercells, and they are known for their narrow, spinning, funnel-like shape as depicted in Figure 10.1 by Daphne Zaras from the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
In contrast, hurricanes, also known as typhoons or tropical cyclones in different regions, develop over warm ocean waters and are characterized by strong wind currents, heavy rains, and a cyclonic rotation that stems from the Coriolis force. This rotation is counterclockwise in the northern hemisphere and clockwise in the southern hemisphere. Unlike tornadoes, hurricanes form from tropical depressions and gain power as they reach sustained wind speeds, eventually becoming named tropical storms and, at higher speeds, hurricanes.