Fire tornado

Fire swirl

Surely when you hear about a fire tornado you associate it with a type of artificial phenomenon. However these are fiery cyclonic tornadoes that a can occur naturally. They usually occur when a large-scale forest fire occurs. For example, several examples of these phenomena have been given in the Australian fires.

In this article we are going to tell you all the characteristics, origin and consequences of a fiery tornado.

What is a tornado of fire

Fire tornado

When a large-scale forest fire occurs, a fairly strong wind regime is required for a fiery tornado to occur. In the fires that occurred in Australia, the most terrifying manifestations of fires were observed. And it is about the formation of several fiery tornadoes during the fires. These phenomena are not uncommon to see in the Australian plains but they become too dangerous in the conditions in which the fires were found.

Fire tornadoes are also called firenados and they have nothing to do with the usual tornadoes. Its formation is due to when there are combinations between extreme heat due to high temperatures that make the soil retain a lot of heat. In addition, the increase in temperatures that the ground undergoes with the fire causes it to mix with a layer of cooler air that blows over it. As the warmer air is less dense it tends to rise and this temperature gradient, which causes the difference, causes a column of air to be generated that rises rapidly and begins to rotate.

If the column of hot air meets an area where the fire is taking place said column of air will drag the fire causing the tornado of fire. As it gains greater speed, the tornado begins to destroy all the embers and flammable material. This fire tower that is formed has serious potential for damage as it devastates its entire path.

Key features

Formation of a fiery tornado

As we have seen, it takes a temperature gradient from the ground to the air for the fire tornado to occur. Mainly we see that the temperature of the ground is much higher than that of the cold air in height. This causes the less dense air to rise violently. These tornadoes can reach internal temperatures of up to 1.500 degrees. That is why they have such devastating potential.

Another characteristic that these tornadoes have is the speed at which they can travel. Depending on the wind regime and the intensity of the fire can produce winds of up to 250 km / h. This speed also depends on the difference in temperatures that exists between the ground and the air in height. The greater the difference in these extremes, the greater the speed at which tornadoes travel and the air rises.

These fiery tornadoes have caused severe damage in the fires in Australia. Although fires and fires are part of the natural cycle of forests, climate change is accelerating these processes. For example, longer summers, higher temperatures and extreme heat occur, which reaches values ​​of 50 degrees in many areas. As we have mentioned before, the greater the temperature gradient created between the base of the ground and the cold air at altitude, the greater the potential for these extreme events to be created. And the fact is that the more fires there and the more temperature they are, these tornadoes of fire can be generated with a greater frequency and intensity.

Fire tornadoes recorded

The vast majority of all major fiery tornadoes that have happened on the planet have arisen from wildfires. In these events we can find ascending and converging currents of warm air. These tornadoes typically have heights between 10 and 50 meters high and a few meters wide. One of the characteristics that this tornado is known for is its short duration. It only lasts a few minutes. However, although their duration is shortened, their speed at which they form and at which they travel causes serious damage.

Some of the most iconic fiery tornadoes in all of history occurred during World War II. They occurred in German cities such as Hamburg during Operation Gomorrah, where 43 people died. Also during the Dresden Bombardment, which sparked a firestorm the size of a small city and produced a whirlwind of fire that it killed between 25 and 40 people, in addition to destroying half the city.

Tornado fire and climate change

It should be taken into account that climate change can transform environmental conditions on a global scale. Meteorological variables have their own balance based on the amount of solar radiation that we constantly receive. This solar radiation causes the vast majority of all meteorological phenomena worldwide. Depending on the amount of solar radiation that reaches us, there is one wind regime or another.

To this we add the retention of heat by greenhouse gases. The increase in these gases in the atmosphere is what causes an increase in global temperatures. And it is that these gases have as their main characteristic a greater heat retention capacity. By having more heat continuously affects all meteorological variables and their operation.

This is how extreme meteorological phenomena occur with greater intensity. Phenomena that we list as droughts, floods, extreme rains, heat waves, etc. With these conditions, highly dangerous events such as fire tornadoes become more frequent. The higher the fire rate, the greater the probability that one of these phenomena will occur.

As you can see, these extreme phenomena can cause serious damage and are enhanced by the effects of climate change. I hope that with this information you can learn more about the fire tornado.


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