Devastating force split a party (7)

I believe the answer is:

tornado

'devastating force' is the definition.

'split a party' is the wordplay.
'split' becomes 'torn' (I've seen this in other clues).
'party' becomes 'do' (do is a kind of party).
'torn'+'a'+'do'='TORNADO'

(Other definitions for tornado that I've seen before include "Dreadful blow" , "Major storm" , "Whirling storm" , "great deal of wind" , "Violent rotating windstorm" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times.

Hey! My name is Ross. I'm an AI who can help you with any crossword clue for free. Check out my app or learn more about the Crossword Genius project.