However, tornadoes are actually much more common in Australia than many people may think. <\/p>\n
Know the news with the 7NEWS app: Download today Arrow<\/a><\/p>\n Between 30 to 80 tornadoes<\/a> are recorded in Australia every year, with weather experts saying this number is likely much higher because tornadoes in more remote regions often go unnoticed.<\/p>\n Australia has a long history of tornadoes, with reports dating back to 1795 until as recent as October last year.<\/p>\n Also called a willy-willy, dust devil or twister, tornadoes are all characterised by a column of violently rotating air that forms in a cloud \u2014 with the column needing to touch the ground to be considered a proper tornado. <\/p>\n They can last from less than a minute to more than an hour and vary in size from metres to more than 1km wide.<\/p>\n The Bureau of Meteorology said winds inside a tornado can exceed 300km\/h, making them \u201cone of the most destructive phenomena in nature\u201d.
<\/p>\n \u201cTornadoes form when weakly rotating air near the surface is rapidly drawn upwards into a cumulus or cumulonimbus cloud,\u201d BOM said.
<\/p>\n \u201cAs the air column rises it stretches, increasing the speed of rotation \u2014 like an ice skater spinning faster as they draw in their arms.\u201d<\/p>\n In Australia, there are two main types of tornadoes: Supercell tornadoes which are created during severe thunderstorms, and non-supercell tornadoes which occur during big shifts in weather such as strong cold fronts. <\/p>\n Supercell tornadoes are most common in central and eastern parts of NSW, southeast Queensland and northeast Victoria.<\/p>\n \u201cThey are more likely in late spring and early summer, when conditions are most favourable for intense thunderstorms,\u201d BOM said.
<\/p>\n Play Video<\/p>\n The twister caused chaos in the regional town late on Thursday night.<\/p>\n The twister caused chaos in the regional town late on Thursday night.<\/p>\n Several large tornado outbreaks have already hit the US this year, including 10 tornadoes in April which damaged more than 100 homes in the Midwest.<\/p>\n Tornado outbreaks can also happen in Australia, although they are more rare. <\/p>\n On September 28, 2016, at least seven tornadoes led to a state-wide power outage in South Australia<\/a>.<\/p>\n Why is it so hard to measure tornadoes in Australia?<\/p>\n \u201cThe destructive nature of a tornado makes it extremely difficult to measure the associated winds,\u201d BOM said.
<\/p>\n \u201cFor this reason, we estimate wind speeds based on the amount of damage caused to trees, buildings, and other structures built by humans.
<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s likely that tornado intensity is underestimated in areas with few damage indicators, such as open fields or grassland.\u201d
<\/p>\n This means the majority of tornadoes outside of populated areas in Australia will go completely unnoticed or cannot be accurately measured. <\/p>\n \u201cIf there\u2019s no one around to see it, we don\u2019t get a report of a tornado,\u201d BOM said.<\/p>\n \u201cThey can\u2019t be identified from satellite imagery, as they\u2019re underneath clouds.\u201d
<\/p>\n The US \u2014 where an estimated 1200 tornadoes hit each year \u2014 has different atmospheric conditions, as well as a much larger population of people to record and report them.<\/p>\n Tornadoes are measured using the Enhanced Fujita scale, which ranges from EF0 (minor damage) to EF5 (incredible damage). It replaced the Fujita scale (F0 to F5) in 2007. <\/p>\n Australia has never recorded a tornado any stronger than EF4.<\/p>\n America, however, has had multiple extremely destructive EF5 tornadoes, such as the Joplin tornado that killed at least 116 people on May 24, 2011.<\/p>\n Tornadoes rated EF2 and above are referred to as significant tornadoes.<\/p>\n Strongest tornadoes recorded in Australia<\/p>\n While more difficult to track and record in Australia, several extremely powerful tornadoes have been confirmed since records began in the 1800s. <\/p>\n Bucca Tornado \u2014 Queensland 1992<\/p>\n The Bucca tornado touched down in Bundaberg and is the strongest recorded in Australia<\/a> and the first and only local tornado to be officially rated F4 on the old scale.<\/p>\n Severe thunderstorms in the area on November 29, 1992 soon turned into cricket-ball sized hail before the formation of a short-lived but devastating tornado about 3.30pm.<\/p>\n It is estimated the tornado destroyed nine houses and killed more than 20 head of cattle within its 10-minute life-span.<\/p>\n Weather experts also recorded wind speeds of about 267km\/h to 322km\/h with stones being embedded in trees, tree saplings speared through the walls of houses and a 3 tonne truck thrown more than 300m. <\/p>\n Mulwala Tornado \u2014 NSW\/Victoria 2013<\/p>\n A strong EF3 tornado was recorded on the NSW-Victorian border at Mulwala on March 21, 2013. <\/p>\n It injured more than 20 people, two critically, and damaged or destroyed multiple homes and other structures.<\/p>\n Wind speeds of 218km\/h to 266km\/h were recorded.<\/p>\n Axe Creek Tornado \u2014 Victoria 2019<\/p>\n On June 29, 2019, a strong non-supercell tornado formed in Axe Creek<\/a>, about\u00a012km southeast of the regional Victorian city of Bendigo.<\/p>\n It almost completely destroyed a family\u2019s double-brick home and carved a 750m-long path of damage through the property and nearby hardwood bush.<\/p>\n Experts said the level of damage was consistent with an EF3 tornado.<\/p>\n Grim details emerge after woman found dead in CBD<\/p>\n 1 min read<\/p>\n![\"This](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/ca8cb2eb1fe45faf09ed40aa9b01f89882f9645e.jpg\")
This picture is believed to be the oldest one of a tornado in Australia, taken in Marong, central Victoria in September\u00a01911. Credit: Museum Victoria<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/bd21db2fa9bf6d4e751ca111cc8bc5a34c2aef6d.jpg\")
A massive EF5 tornado passed through the town of Joplin, Missouri, killing at least 116 people on May 24, 2011. Credit: Mario Tama\/Getty Images<\/p>\n![\"Tornado](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/aebe327b073141ec5bd862b546fea93b143e140c.jpg\")
Tornado recorded at Narrabri in NSW, October 2021. Credit: 7NEWS<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/54226f296af22bdc2f27e8968f8d86bad42ed39e.jpg\")
The Bucca tornado in Bundaberg, 1992. Credit: Jeff\u00a0Callaghan\/Green Cross Australia<\/p>\n![\"Axe](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/b8ed46588a6fe2403a444679818e2d0cd014aaea.png\")
Axe Creek home destroyed in EF3 tornado. Credit: 7NEWS<\/p>\n