They usually cause small areas of heavier rotational wind damage among areas of straight-line wind damage. Dust devil
A dust devil (also known as a whirlwind) resembles a tornado in that it is a vertical swirling column of air. However, they form under clear skies and are no stronger than the weakest tornadoes. They form when a strong convective updraft is formed near the ground on a hot day. If there is enough low-level wind shear, the column of hot, rising air can develop a small cyclonic motion that can be seen near the ground. They are not considered tornadoes because they form during fair weather and are not associated with any clouds. However, they can, on occasion, result in major damage. Fire whirls
Small-scale, tornado-like circulations can occur near any intense surface heat source. Those that occur near intense wildfires are called fire whirls. They are not considered tornadoes, except in the rare case where they connect to a pyrocumulus or other cumuliform cloud above. Fire whirls usually are not as strong as tornadoes associated with thunderstorms. They can, however, produce significant damage. Steam devils
A steam devil is a rotating updraft between 50-and-200-metre wide (160 and 660 ft) that involves steam or smoke. These formations do not involve high wind speeds, only completing a few rotations per minute. Steam devils are very rare. They most often form from smoke issuing from a power plants smokestack. Hot springs and deserts may also be suitable locations for a tighter, faster-rotating steam devil to form.
Universities, government agencies such as the National Severe Storms Laboratory, private-sector meteorologists, and the National Center for Atmospheric Research are some of the organizations very active in research; with various sources of funding, both private and public, a chief entity being the National Science Foundation. The pace of research is partly constrained by the number of observations that can be taken; gaps in information about the wind, pressure, and moisture content throughout the local atmosphere; and the computing power available for simulation.Solar storms similar to tornadoes have been recorded, but it is unknown how closely related they are to their terrestrial counterparts. Gallery
See also
References
Further reading
Bluestein, Howard B. (1999). Tornado Alley: Monster Storms of the Great Plains. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-510552-4. Bradford, Marlene (2001). Scanning the Skies: A History of Tornado Forecasting. Norman, OK: University of Oklahoma Press. ISBN 0-8061-3302-3. Grazulis, Thomas P. (January 1997). Significant Tornadoes Update, 1992–1995. St. Johnsbury, VT: Environmental Films. ISBN 1-879362-04-X. Pybus, Nani (Spring 2016). "Cyclone Jones: Dr. Herbert L. Jones and the Origins of Tornado Research in Oklahoma". Chronicles of Oklahoma. 94: 4–31. Retrieved May 5, 2022. Heavily illustrated. External links

NOAA Storm Events Database 1950–present
European Severe Weather Database
Tornado Detection and Warnings
Electronic Journal of Severe Storms Meteorology
NOAA Tornado Preparedness Guide
Tornado History Project – Maps and statistics from 1950 to present
Physics Today What we know and dont know about Tornadoes September 2014
U.S. Billion-dollar Weather and Climate Disasters