Surely when you hear about a fire tornado You associate it with a type of artificial phenomenon. However, these are fire cyclonic tornadoes that can occur naturally. They typically occur when a large-scale forest fire breaks out. For example, several examples of these phenomena have occurred 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
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 fireAs the tornado gains speed, it begins to burn away all embers and flammable materials. This tower of fire that forms has serious potential for damage, as it sweeps away everything in its path.
Key features
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 mentioned before, the greater the temperature gradient created between the ground and the cold air at altitude, the greater the potential for these extreme events. The more fires there are and the higher the temperatures, the more frequent and intense these fire tornadoes can be.
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 why extreme weather events are occurring with greater frequency and intensity. These phenomena include droughts, floods, extreme rainfall, heat waves, and so on. These conditions make highly dangerous events such as fire tornadoes 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.
