Hurricane & Tornados Question: What's the difference between a cyclone, a hurricane, and a tornado? The Answer: Any of these windbags can blow you away. In each the wind spins around a low-pressure core. They differ in the speed of the spin, the size of the storm, it's duration, and how fast it travels. A tornado has the tightest focus--generally less than a mile across. Although usually over in a few minutes, its wind can rotate at up to an incredible 300 mph and speed ahead at 40 mph. Hurricane winds typically may swirl at 100 mph, but that's over a diameter of maybe 600 miles. With a forward speed of 10-20 mph, they can last for at least a week. A cyclone moves ahead at about 25 mph. It's wind doesn't swirl at more than 60 mph--but that's over an area of as much as 1000 miles, and it can last a couple of weeks. If this one is forecast, build an ark.