fire tornado

American  

[fahyuhr tawr-ney-doh] / ˈfaɪər tɔrˌneɪ doʊ /

noun

Meteorology.

fire tornadoes, plural fire tornados plural

1. a flaming tornado generated by intense wildfire, rarer, much larger, and more destructive than a fire whirl.

   It may have begun from the ground as a fire whirl, but it now raged with a cloud-to-ground ferocity that could only belong to an actual fire tornado.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• fire tornadoes
  plural
• fire tornados
  plural

Etymology

Origin of fire tornado

First recorded in 1845–50

Example Sentences

Your renters or homeowners insurance can provide coverage if it’s damaged in a fire, tornado or hurricane.

From Salon • Oct. 1, 2024

The fire whirl, sometimes called a fire tornado, and short-range spotting were the result of “dry, receptive fuels and erratic winds from intense surface heating,” the Fire Department’s Air Operations Section said in a tweet.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 10, 2022

On Sunday, the National Weather Service tweeted a video of a fire tornado, or "fire whirl," from San Diego County's 1,500-acre Chaparral Fire.

From Fox News • Aug. 30, 2021

Mr. Redman said the incident command had not received any reports of a fire tornado.

From New York Times • Jul. 19, 2021

The wizards are too busy fleeing the fire tornado to pay us any mind.

From "The Manifestor Prophecy" by Angie Thomas