Tornadoes Made Of Fire

[Dan Dixon]

http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2010/08/25/a-tornado-made-of-fire-seriously/

http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2010/08/30/another-tornado-made-of-fire-waiting-now-for-tornado-made-of-locusts/

"This really is a fantastic demonstration of how microscale weather works. Imagine: a fire starts. As the air is heated above the fire, it rises, and the upward motion can be very strong. This leaves a lower pressure spot at the fire, and the air from outside the fire rushes in to fill the gap. The air is very turbulent, and as the inward-moving air from one side hits air coming in from the other, swirls can form. These get amplified by the constant gale of air, and rotation on a larger scale can get started and sustained. The whirlwind gets pumped by the hot air rising, and the next thing you know you’ve got a full-blown tornado of fire."

[Chaotic Cow]

Oh wow. That is pure awesome.