steam devil
nounEtymology From steam + devil. From being a whirlwind (“devil”) formed from mist (“steam”). Patterned after dust devil.
1
A spiraling wind caused by rising thermals off a warm body of water's surface that has been enveloped by a layer of very cold air, which also causes the humidity in the thermal to turn to mist, highlighting the whirl of the column. The equivalent of a dustdevil over water.
- Related terms
- devil, dust devil, fire devil