Hawaii volcano update: Terrifying TORNADO emerges as Kilauea whips up FIERY twister
HAWAII’S raging Kilauea volcano eruption has destroyed hundreds of homes across the defenceless Big Island and a new catastrophic danger has emerged from the inferno – a terrifying volcanic tornado.
By SEBASTIAN KETTLEY
Express.co.uk
Fri, Jun 8, 2018
Hawaii’s serene jungle landscapes have transformed to Biblical scenes of fire and brimstone since Hawaii volcano Kilauea began erupting more than a month ago on May 3.
An incredibly rare phenomenon was now captured on camera by a touring photographer who witnessed strong winds whip up a fiery twister.
Photographer Anthony Quintano snapped the breathtaking tornado, dubbed lavanado, over volcanic fissure eight in Leilani Estates.
Mr Quintano said: “I was in a media escort provided by the Hawaii National Guard so we were in Leilani Estates the only legal way to view and cover the lava inside the area.
“The fountain was shooting 200 feet in the air and it was roughly a half mile away from where we were standing.”
Volcanologist Dr Janine Crippler and meteorologist Sean Luchs dubbed the event a “volcanic fire whirl”.
Earlier last month, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) warned volcanoes have been known to cause weather of their own.
The warning came after pyrocumulus clouds were spotted forming over the Leilani Estates fissure system.
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