Fire Tornadoes – What Are They?
We have all heard of wildfires and tornadoes, but what happens when they join together? Fire tornadoes. Intense wildfire can create tornado-like vortices that are often called fire tornadoes. They occur when extreme temperatures create rapidly rising air which brings in horizontal air flow which rises rapidly. These whirlwinds gain momentum with a large amount of air being pulled in.
What are Fire Tornadoes?
Fire tornadoes are not real tornadoes. Instead, they are vortexes of fire, wind, and smoke that rapidly spin up from the ground during some wildfires that occur in arid or semi-arid regions. They usually form when fast-moving flames hit a pocket of cooler air moving over land or water. This displaces much of the hot air at ground level and turns it into a powerful tornado above the surface (although it may not be visible from the ground). These vortices can reach speeds of up to 55 miles per hour (90 km/h) and can also be referred to as fire whirls, fire devils, and firenado.
Fire Tornadoes or Firewhirls
These spinning vortices form when intense levels of heat and air rise quickly, consolidating low-level spin from winds converging into the spinning fire.
A typical fire tornado can grow to about 100 feet but looks drastically slimmer than a regular tornado, some being only a couple of feet wide.
Even though the idea of a fire tornado may be uncommon, they actually happen quite frequently. Forest fires and brush fires across the States reach extreme temperatures, creating these fire whirls. Many times people miss them because of extreme heat and evacuations. But today, with the technology of cameras, we can see them happening more often.
These fire tornadoes are often not something you can prepare for since they happen after evacuations. Preparing your home for wildfires and brush fires is always a safe and great idea. Learn how to prepare your home for forest fires here!
Future Wildfires
We have seen that over time the world has been experiencing more intense fires. In the past decade, the amount of global fires has increased drastically. These fires produce large amounts of smoke and chemicals into the air as well as particulate matter. This affects the way clouds form as well as local weather and long term climate change.
Forest fires seem to follow a trend. When the climates warm, the atmosphere is a little dryer, while there being more people living in close proximity to fire prone areas. It has been predicated that areas of the Great Plains and Midwest that don’t see a lot fo fire activity today will start to produce forest fires in the next couple of decades. This goes along with areas that are already fire prone, they will be seeing more fires as well.
If you want to find out more about forest fires, carbon dioxide levels, trends, satellites and programs, visit nasa.gov/fires.
If you experience damage to your home because of a forest fire, don’t hesitate to call a local fire restoration company!
