Super cell Tornadoes
Some of the most violent tornadoes develop from super cell thunderstorms. A super cell thunderstorm is a long-lived thunderstorm possessing within its structure a continuously rotating updraft of air.
Dust Devils Dry, hot, clear days on the desert can bring about dust devils. Generally forming in the hot sun during the late morning or early afternoon hours, these harmless eddies are triggered by light desert breezes that create a swirling plume of dust with speeds rarely over 25 mph. They may be known as a dancing dervish, desert devil, or sand devil.
Firewhirls Sometimes the intense heat created by a major forest fire or volcanic eruption can create what is known as a fire whirl, a tornado-like rotating column of smoke and/or fire. Winds associated with firewhirls have been estimated at over 100 mph. Gustnado Weak and usually short-lived, a gustnado forms along the gust front of a thunderstorm, appearing as a temporary dust whirl or debris cloud.
Landspout Generally weaker than a super cell tornado, a landspout is not associated with a wall cloud or mesocyclone. It may be observed beneath cumulonimbus or towering cumulus clouds and is the land equivalent of a waterspout.
Waterspout Resembling a tornado, a waterspout is usually less intense and causes far less damage. Rarely more than fifty yards wide, it forms over warm tropical ocean waters, although its funnel is made of fresh water from condensation` not salt water from the ocean. Waterspouts usually dissipate upon reaching land.
Dust Devils Dry, hot, clear days on the desert can bring about dust devils. Generally forming in the hot sun during the late morning or early afternoon hours, these harmless eddies are triggered by light desert breezes that create a swirling plume of dust with speeds rarely over 25 mph. They may be known as a dancing dervish, desert devil, or sand devil.
Firewhirls Sometimes the intense heat created by a major forest fire or volcanic eruption can create what is known as a fire whirl, a tornado-like rotating column of smoke and/or fire. Winds associated with firewhirls have been estimated at over 100 mph. Gustnado Weak and usually short-lived, a gustnado forms along the gust front of a thunderstorm, appearing as a temporary dust whirl or debris cloud.
Landspout Generally weaker than a super cell tornado, a landspout is not associated with a wall cloud or mesocyclone. It may be observed beneath cumulonimbus or towering cumulus clouds and is the land equivalent of a waterspout.
Waterspout Resembling a tornado, a waterspout is usually less intense and causes far less damage. Rarely more than fifty yards wide, it forms over warm tropical ocean waters, although its funnel is made of fresh water from condensation` not salt water from the ocean. Waterspouts usually dissipate upon reaching land.
