Do tornadoes skip?

Do tornadoes skip? Experts say no. Sometimes a tornado's damage path appears irregular, leaving some buildings demolished but others in the same path relatively undamaged. This gives the impression the funnel skipped over the less-damaged buildings.

There are several reasons why tornado damage might appear inconsistent:

1) The buildings that suffered less damage were better built, or better positioned to withstand the tornado.

2) Small "eddies" (sub-vorticies) in the tornado's overall circulation may deliver stronger winds on one building and weaker winds on the building next door.

3) Where longer gaps exist between damaged buildings along the same path, chances are two tornadoes occurred. Supercell thunderstorms can spawn multiple tornadoes, including two at the same time very close to each other.