Talk:Steam devil

Frequency
This article mentions that steam devils "rarely occur" aside from power plants. The few times I've seem them have all been naturally occurring and no where near power plants, including all over the surface of a local reservoir. I don't think they're that uncommon when the water is much warmer than the air as it often is in the autumn. Here's an article: http://spaceweather.com/submissions/large_image_popup.php?image_name=Mike-Hollingshead-20080829_6265_1220110824.jpg

PSF--Psf11 (talk) 11:49, 6 October 2008 (UTC)

I got this info from a weather guide. I don't know what to tell you. The Video Game Master (talk) 12:16, 6 October 2008 (UTC)

Picture

 * This thread is discussing File:Tall Steam Devil.jpg (now deleted)

The picture used in this article shows nothing. It should be removed from the article, since it is not a photograph of what it purports to show. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.10.243.95 (talk) 05:17, 25 January 2009 (UTC)


 * There is, in fact, a very faint column of something rising from the pool which you can see if you zoom in on the picture. Whether or not that is a steam devil, I wouldn't like to say.  Sp in ni  ng  Spark  15:10, 25 January 2009 (UTC)

Not Steam Devils

 * This thread is discussing File:Steam devil.jpg

I'd be happy to hear opposing thoughts, but I do not believe what is discussed and pictured on the "steam devil" page are steam devils. As I understand it "steam devils" are tiny vortexes of warm water vapor rising from the surface of bodies of water when the air temp is much cooler than the water. This is supported by several web search results: http://www.stormchaser.ca/Steam_Devils/2004_01_10_Steam/2004_01_10_Steam.html

What is shown on this page are simply columns of steam. Thoughts?--71.173.195.74 (talk) 02:01, 1 July 2009 (UTC)


 * At one time, I thought so too, even going as far as to remove the picture. However, after discussing with the photographer, it  is clear that there actually is a steam devil in the picture.  Look carefully and you will spot it, it is in the air and has not "touched down".  Sp in ni  ng  Spark  21:02, 3 July 2009 (UTC)

Actually, I did see that, and realized it was some kind of vortex though not related to the small updrafts from the surfaces of lakes I normally think of as "steam devils". --Psf11 (talk) 11:34, 8 July 2009 (UTC)

Expanded article
I have just completed a major expansion of this article. I have pretty much thrown away the original stub which was completely unreferenced and largely unverified. Amongst the problems;
 * No source counted smoke as a steam devil. This would be a smoke devil surely
 * "Usually occur above power plants and freshly compacted asphalt". No source verified this, or even confirmed that they so occur at all.  The closest to a mention was Holle who says ""Whirlwinds have been described recently in morning fog, hot springs, a blizzard, a bonfire, along the sea breeze front, over cooling towers, and in the form of steam devils over the Yellowstone geyser basin."  That is, he has specifically counted cooling towers as outside the class of steam devils.  I won't dispute that such devils are possible, but at the very least, the article is not concentrating on what all the sources define as a steam devil.
 * "Rarely occur elsewhere". Well all the sources talk about elsewhere.
 * "They may occur in deserts" no source verified this - that would be a dust devil surely
 * As an afterthought, cold air devils over the Great Lakes are mentioned, but in fact, this is the very place where steam devils were named.

I have also moved the Hawaii picture out of the lede. Admittedly, this is the nicest picture we have of a steam devil, but we really need a lede picture that is mainstream - that is depicting what the sources are describing. None of my sources even mention steam devils formed when lava enters the sea so at minimum this is tangential.  Sp in ni ng  Spark  18:37, 8 May 2011 (UTC)