"Fire twister" redirects here. For American Canadian film, see Fire Twister.
Fire whirl
A fire whirl with flames in the vortex
Area of occurrence
Worldwide (most frequent in areas subject to wildfires)
Season
All year (most frequent in dry season)
Effect
Wind damage, burning, propagation/intensification of fires
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A fire whirl or fire devil (sometimes referred to as a fire tornado) is a whirlwind induced by a fire and often (at least partially) composed of flame or ash. These start with a whirl of wind, often made visible by smoke, and may occur when intense rising heat and turbulent wind conditions combine to form whirling eddies of air. These eddies can contract a tornado-like vortex that sucks in debris and combustible gases.
The phenomenon is sometimes labeled a fire tornado, firenado, fire swirl, or fire twister, but these terms usually refer to a separate phenomenon where a fire has such intensity that it generates an actual tornado. Fire whirls are not usually classifiable as tornadoes as the vortex in most cases does not extend from the surface to cloud base. Also, even in such cases, those fire whirls very rarely are classic tornadoes, as their vorticity derives from surface winds and heat-induced lifting, rather than from a tornadic mesocyclone aloft.[1]
The phenomenon was first verified in the 2003 Canberra bushfires and has since been verified in the 2018 Carr Fire in California and 2020 Loyalton Fire in California and Nevada.
^McRae, Richard H. D.; J. J. Sharples; S. R. Wilkes; A. Walker (2013). "An Australian pyro-tornadogenesis event". Nat. Hazards. 65 (3): 1801–1811. Bibcode:2013NatHa..65.1801M. doi:10.1007/s11069-012-0443-7. S2CID 51933150.
A firewhirl or fire devil (sometimes referred to as a fire tornado) is a whirlwind induced by a fire and often (at least partially) composed of flame...
vapour. A firewhirl – also colloquially known as a fire devil, fire tornado, firenado, or fire twister – is a whirlwind induced by a fire and often made...
resemble some tornadoes. Firewhirls or swirls, sometimes called fire devils or fire tornadoes, can be seen during intense fires in combustible building...
well as an EF3-equivalent firewhirl near Redding in Shasta County that developed within the 2018 Carr Fire. The firewhirl was one of two deadly tornadic...
A powerful firewhirl with winds estimated in excess of 143 mph (230 km/h)—equivalent to an EF3 tornado—developed within the Carr Fire in Redding, California...
lookout tower Fire making Fire pit Fire safety Fire triangle FirewhirlFire worship Flame test Life Safety Code List of fires List of light sources Phlogiston...
tornado-like phenomena that exist in nature include the gustnado, dust devil, firewhirl, and steam devil. Tornadoes occur most frequently in North America (particularly...
of the town. Other survivors reported that the firestorm generated a firewhirl (described as a tornado) that threw rail cars and houses into the air...
occasions, a landspout can be as strong as an EF2 or EF3 tornado. Dust devil Firewhirl Funnel cloud Tornadogenesis Vortex engine Waterspout Whirlwind Judson...
strike, especially in "dry thunderstorms") Firestorm Firewhirl, also called firenado and fire tornado Floods Flash flood Coastal flooding Tidal flooding...
flames, a major contributing factor to the fire's spread was a meteorological phenomenon known as a firewhirl. As overheated air rises, it comes into contact...
the United States of America. Dust devil Firewhirl Jyotirlinga Other mentions of the pillars of cloud and fire in the Pentateuch include: Exodus 16:10;...
increase in intensity. These intermediate types include the gustnado and the firewhirl. Other lesser whirlwinds include dust devils, as well as steam devils...
fire Explosive – Substance that can explode Fire – Rapid and hot oxidation of a material Firewhirl – Whirlwind induced by and often composed of fire...
Steam devils over geyser basins were first reported by Holle in 1977. Firewhirl Gustnado Landspout Sea smoke Dust devil Bluestein differs from other sources...
induce true tornadoes/firewhirls. This occurred with the 2002 Durango fire, and probably with the much greater Peshtigo Fire. The greater draft of a...
States (PDF). The 5th Symposium on Fire and Forest Meteorology and the 2nd International Wildland Fire Ecology and Fire Management Congress. Orlando, FL...
Allied bombing of Nazi Germany 'Whirlwind', referencing the speech and the firewhirl generated by firestorms. The Rani Reaps the Whirlwind, a 2000 Doctor Who...
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