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A firenado sounds like something from Science Fiction, like the cheesy Sharknado movie, but these are a real thing.
Firenandoes are more properly known as fire whirls. They are most likely to occur in large fires, like a wildfire. The fire creates a whirlwind made of ash and flames, which then combine with the high winds that are caused by the extreme heat. The combination of the two creates eddies that spin like a tornado.
The core of a firenado can reach up to 2,000 °F, and have winds of over 100 mph. These eddies can last over an hour, cannot be put out, and will set fire to anything in their path.
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∙ 7y ago
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How is a firenado created?
A firewhirl, as it is properly called, forms in a similar manner to a dust devil, only with a fire as the heat source. Fire and hot gasses from it are less dense than air and will therefore rise, creating an updraft. As this happens wind traveling over terrain and vegetation will develop turbulent eddies. Once of these eddies can get caught in the updraft of the fire and will then tighten and intensify, forming a vortex of fire or smoke. Any flames within the vortex will have a better supply of oxygen and will burn somewhat hotter than other parts of the fire.
