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An out-of-control brush fire in Southern California whipped up a Firenado in rural Los Angeles County on Thursday morning. What is this strange weather phenomenon called a Firenado and how is it different from a Firewhirl?
Firenado in LA? No, Firenado is not the latest disaster movie coming out of Hollywood. It’s a real event that reportedly occurred outside of Los Angeles, California yesterday. Before we report on that event, let’s learn more about what a firenado actually is, as it’s not the same thing as a firewhirl.
During a wildfire, hot conditions can create a ferocious column of wind called a Firenado, which stretches from the ground up into the clouds.
In the midst of an intense inferno, a Firenado forms when hot air rising from a wildfire carries the moisture up into the sky, which helps form billowing clouds. Specifically, pyrocumulus and pyrocumulonimbus clouds that create the perfect conditions for the formation of tornadoes. These updrafts spin and create powerful winds.
Firenadoes are a very rare phenomenon, only two have been known to have occurred, science news for students reports. However, if today’s report of a Firenado is confirmed to be true, then it would be the third on record. The first confirmed firenado was in the Canberra brushfires of 2003 and the second occurred in Redding, California in July 2018.
A firenado is also distinctly more powerful than a firewhirl. The Redding, California firenado may have spun faster than 143 miles per hour.
A Firewhirl, sometimes also called a fire devil, is often mistakenly referred to as being synonymous with a Firenado, but they are not quite the same thing and they are more common. A Firewhirl is a type of whirlwind that is induced by fire and often is composed of flame and/or ash and debris. Unlike a firenado, a firewhirl does not stretch to the clouds.
Typically, they are often small, averaging 8 feet wide, and typically stretch from 33 to 164 feet tall. These are brief events that are usually over within a few minutes, although some have persisted as long as 20 minutes. Some are strong enough to uproot trees of 49 feet in height or greater.
A brush fire was sparked in the Angeles National Forest on Wednesday afternoon, a rural area of Los Angeles County on Thursday. The blaze quickly exploded out of control, as firefighters continued to work on how to stop smoking fires that are rendering visibility to zero and forcing people out of the area, it prompted evacuation orders and road closures in the Lake Hughes area, The Daily Beast reported.
The fire has been dubbed the “Lake Fire.” Within two hours, the blaze had already expanded to over 10,000 acres. According to the latest information from CalFire, the fire remains 0% contained. The cause of the blaze is currently unknown.
A reporter working for local news outlet KABC 7 was recording the action in the background when the winds suddenly whipped up. They recorded what appeared to be the reporter called a fire tornado, or firenado. The video can be seen at the report on the event by ABC7.
However, the National Weather Service (NWS) has yet to confirm whether what reporters called several “fire tornados” as actually being a true firenadoes or were simply firewhirls.
