Tornado Types -- Who Knew There Was More Than 1

Tornadoes are distinct features that are easy to pick out when seen. However, did you know there is more than one type of tornado? Let’s review them.

• Supercell tornadoes are the most classic, well-known type of tornado. These tornadoes form as winds above the ground blow at different speeds or directions, causing a rotation of the air. Once air begins to rise from the ground, warm, moist air can flow into the rotating column of air, helping to form a tornado. Supercell tornadoes are often the most violent and dangerous.
• Landspouts and waterspouts are very thin rope-like funnels that form while there is no rotating updraft. Instead, the spinning motion forms near the ground and a funnel of rain and wind forms. Waterspouts form the same as landspouts, but are found over water.
• Gustnadoes form along the leading edge of cool air that sweeps away from a storm. Debris and dirt are picked up and spun in a whirl-like motion. Unlike a landspout, gustnadoes don’t contain any moisture or rain.
• Dust Devils are most common on sunny, hot afternoons when there is a large temperature difference between the surface temperature and temperature of air a couple hundred feet above the surface. Dust is often seen lifting from the ground as the dust devil forms. These types of tornadoes only last a few minutes but can reduce visibility dramatically.
• Fire Whirls are very rare but are mainly associated with wildfires triggered by dry conditions and gusty winds. A severe lightning strike that leads to a billowing fire can also produce a fire whirl. They also form due to large temperature differences between the ground fire and cooler air aloft. Rising air in combination with small circulations above the ground create rotation. Fire whirls usually are quite narrow, and as much as 3 feet wide and 100 feet tall.

​While many people associate tornadoes with destructive thunderstorms, other types of tornadoes outlined above can pose just as much or even more danger than the standard thunderstorm-driven tornado. Keep an eye out for these non-traditional tornadoes this season!
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Story Image: A dust devil in Sacramento Valley, Calif. (Dan Kozlowski/NOAA Photo Library).