Wizard of Oz - cyclone or tornado?

[hazelmaryjackson]

I have just returned from storm chasing in Kansas. While I was away my husband visited his bridge club where he met a lady from the Mid West. He mentioned that I was chasing tornadoes in Kansas, and she asked him if he knew the difference between a cyclone and a tornado. They were different she said and Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz, she told him, was swept away by a cyclone, not a tornado.

On my return he asked me what the difference was. I know in theory, I thought a cyclone was a form of hurricane or tropical storm. So what swept Dorothy away? A tornado or a cyclone? Do they even have cyclones in Kansas or is this an example of a word changing its meaning?

 

[Matt Tottle]

In short, she (and L. Frank Baum) are wrong. Cyclone is another word for hurricane (namely one that develops in the south Pacific) that is sometimes used (incorrectly) as a term for a tornado (I think this error is being perpetuated further by that Dyson vacuum clown). The lady is correct in one aspect that Baum used the term 'cyclone' in the story, and it may have been the common word back then, but today we know it's wrong. It was a tornado that picked up Dorothy.

 

[hazelmaryjackson]

Thanks. That's basically what I told my husband but it is nice to have it confirmed. Interesting though that even some former mid westerners (she no longer lives there) are still perpetuating this error.

 

[Andy Wehrle]

At one time, "cyclone" was a regional colloquialism for "tornado," even though in its broader and meteorologically correct sense it encompasses all cyclonically rotating (counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere) storms, which includes (most) tornadoes. However, it is now somewhat of an anachronism when applied in the sense of "tornado."

Anyone who sees or reads "Wizard of Oz" should learn that the term is being used in its narrower sense ("tornado") in that story. Otherwise, they'll still be waiting for that "cyclone warning" from the National Weather Service when the tornado hits their house.

 

[Warren Faidley]

Dr. Doswell wrote an extensive (and wonderful) research paper / presentation on the Wizard of OZ tornado / cyclone years ago for the Severe Storms Conference if someone has a reference.

W.

 

[Karen St John]

Maybe Dorothy, in her excitement, forgot to add "meso" to her cyclone...

 

[Ryan Schwartz]

Before 1950, the use of the word "tornado" was either strongly discouraged or forbidden by forecasters for fear of causing widespread panic amongst the public.

 

[hazelmaryjackson]

So if tornadoes did not "officially" exist before 1950, how were they reported in the media?

 

[Rejean Boudreau]

Don't laugh, it is still the same thing in Canada where they are calling EF-2 and even EF-3, mini tornados in the media. People are still confusing tornado, cyclone, hurricane. I've seen the CBC described a gust front with a huge shelf cloud as an hurricane.

Same goes in Europe where a tornado (EF-4) with two dead and a lot of damages, was reported as a mini tornado.

Go figure.

 

[Simon Andersen]

Hazel, http://www3.gendisasters.com/taxonomy_menu/3/64

 

[jaredmysko]

Before 1950, the use of the word "tornado" was either strongly discouraged or forbidden by forecasters for fear of causing widespread panic amongst the public.

Not here, members of media outlets in Saskatchewan are calling obviously destructive tornadoes "funnel clouds" (daily) and only refer to the great cyclone of 1912 as some kind of fairy tale that will never happen again because "we don't get tornadoes, they are a figment of Hollywood's imagination."

We haven't had a single tornado warning yet this year but in the storm chasing community we have already 5 confirmed by photo or video as ground penetrating vortexual twisting cloud thingys. Talk about ridiculous. The media thinks its some kind of joke.

If I see one, that what I will name it. I'm fed up with the word "tornado". Might as well classify it as a swear word.

(a little bit excited in Canada)

Jared

 

[Chuck Hurley]

auntie em aunti em it's a twister it's a twister!

 

[Jason Foster]

"Tornado" has roots that go back fairly far. I was able to get a copy of the LA Times (or tribute, whatever) for the Tri-State tornado & associate evenst dated the next day just as they were getting word (it was a HUGE headline to say the least...very cool collectible).

However, on a different note, back in 2003 or 2004 I was with Gammons, Collura and Amos Magliocco visiting the "old" Mobitee, Texas* (neat town...highly suggest visiting). At the old cementery that an old man restored, you can find many markers with the same date and noted "died in cyclone" and dated early part of the century. Amos and I took particular note of that. If I remember right, we actually found another date that might even have gone back close to or before the 20th century with the same note. But it's been awhile and that is video I never captured (so I'd have to pull the hi8 tape...arrrggg).

So in some regards "cyclone" could be an acceptible reference it speaking of such things as Wizard of Oz movie. However, as others have noted, it certainly has "official" and "non-official" aspects to each term/word.

*Mobitee, TX was a recommended ghost town to visit in Tim Vasquez's first Chase Handbook.

 

[Elaine Spencer]

Does anyone remember when chain link fences were called "cyclone fences"? I do -- there was a fence like that around my schoolyard when I was a kid and it even had a "Cyclone Fence" label on it. That may have been a brand name, but I see from my extensive web-based research (i.e. glancing at Wikipedia) that "cyclone fence" and "hurricane fence" are also generic names for chain link fence. I would guess that dates from an era when "cyclone" was a generic name for any violent rotating storm.

Also, is it possible that since "tornado" was originally a Spanish word (as is its counterpart, "derecho" meaning straight line wind), it didn't come into common use all over the country right away?

 

[Richard Vorhies]

FYI Iowa State school mascot is the "Cyclones". It is a "Tornado" in the diagram used on all the uniforms of it's sports teams.