Thunderstorms and Tornadoes

Links to online information about thunderstorms and tornadoes.

Dust devils

This is about as much as convection can do without moisture.

Dust Devils

Short Weather Channel video (1:05) explaining how dust devils form.

Dust devils on Mars

Trying to learn about dust devils on the dust planet (3:44).

Australian Fire Whirls

The thermal energy for convection doesn’t have to come from the sun! (3:59)

Portuguese fire whirls

More fire whirl footage (4:00).

Thunderstorms

Thunderstorms and supercells

Video (4:44) from a TV meteorologist aimed at a school audience.

Thunder and Lightning

Video (2:56) from the UK Met Office

Thundersnow

Video (0:55) showing a snowstorm with lightning and thunder in Wichita.

National Severe Storms laboratory Severe Weather 101—Thunderstorms

Introduction to thunderstorms, with links to further pages: types of thunderstorms, thunderstormstorm detection, forecasting, FAQ

Tornadoes

Overview

National Severe Storms laboratory Severe Weather 101—Tornadoes

Introduction to tornadoes

EF Scale

NOAA fact sheet on the Enhanced Fujita scale

EF Scale damage photos

from the “Original Weather Blog”

Noteworthy tornadoes

Super Tornado

Sensational video (30 min) from Cosmic Journeys describing the Joplin, MO tornado.

The Tri-State Tornado of 1925

Video (5:13) describing the record tornado of 18 March 1925.

Tri-State Tornado facts

Facts about the Tri-State Tornado, with many photographs of damage.

EL Reno Tornado animation

Video (2:09) of a simulation of the El Reno Oklahoma tornado of May 2011 from the University of Wisconsin.

Storm chaser videos

Fractal

Video montage (3:23) of intense thunderstorms.

Storm chaser videos

A collection from storm chaser Quincy Vagell.

Wray, Colorado

Close footage (5:23) of a tornado.

Tornado on Fire

Fire Tornado

Not just a fire whirl.  Destructive fires in Canberra, Australia in 2003 were evidently intensified by a true tornado born from the pyrocumulus cloud.  This video (11:08) shows how the story was uncovered.