An Australian pyro-tornadogenesis event

• Published in: Natural hazards (Dordrecht) Vol. 65; no. 3; pp. 1801 - 1811
• Main Authors: McRae, Richard H. D., Sharples, Jason J., Wilkes, Stephen R., Walker, Alan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Dordrecht Springer Netherlands 01.02.2013; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Australia; Capital; Civil Engineering; Earth and Environmental Science; Earth Sciences; Earth, ocean, space; Engineering and environment geology. Geothermics; Environmental Management; Environmental policy; Exact sciences and technology; Fires; Forest & brush fires; Geophysics/Geodesy; Geotechnical Engineering & Applied Earth Sciences; Hydrogeology; Natural Hazards; Natural hazards: prediction, damages, etc; Original Paper; Tornadoes; Australia; Canberra Australian Capital Territory Australia; Australia, Australian Capital Terr., Canberra; Pyro-tornadogenesis; Wildfire; Tornado; Pyro-cumulonimbus; atmosphere; fires; natural disaster damages; Australasia
• ISSN: 0921-030X; 1573-0840
• DOI: 10.1007/s11069-012-0443-7

On 18 January 2003, fires had a devastating impact on Australia’s capital, Canberra. A series of reviews and scientific studies have examined the events of that day and indicate that the worst impacts were due to a series of violent pyro-convective events and resultant pyro-cumulonmibi. These coupled fire–atmosphere events are much more energetic than normal fires. In one instance, an intense pyro-convective cell developed a tornado. We demonstrate that this was indeed a tornado, the first confirmed pyro-tornadogenesis in Australia, and not a fire whirl. Here, we discuss aspects of the formation, evolution and decay of the tornado, which was estimated to have been of at least F2 intensity, highlighting a process that can significantly increase the damage of a wildfire event.