This ‘Ash Devil’ Is A Tornado-like Destroyer You Wouldn’t Want Anywhere Near You

On Thursday, an incredibly odd phenomenon known as an “ash devil” came sweeping through the northern edge of California where the Grade Fire has been wreaking havoc on the city of Yreka.

The ash devil sucked up the burnt ashes and debris as it spun across the fire area. Trained professionals were there to photograph this smoke tornado as it loomed over the scorched earth.

At least 710 acres have been consumed since the Grade Fire began in Yreka, California, which is just south of Oregon. At the moment, 65% of the fire is contained, and evacuations of the area have been lifted, according to Mashable.

The US National Weather Service of Medford Oregon posted a picture of the ash devil on Thursday with the caption: “Here is an amazing photo of a dust/ash/smoke devil from the Grade Fire near Yreka, CA. It was taken by Bob Smith, one of our weather spotters in Siskiyou County, CA.

Firewhirls and ash devils are not uncommon in wildfires on unstable days. Strong updrafts from the heat of the fire (or even just the blackened ground) are able to turn the horizontal vorticity (spin) into the vertical and give rise to these spinning columns of air. These are signs of vertical wind shear and extreme instability, and they are very dangerous to firefighters.

Photo credit: Bob Smith.

Here’s another closer look at the “Ash Devil” provided by the US National Weather Service…

Would you be brave enough to stand there and take pictures of this frightening ash devil?

[H/T Mashable]