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                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, January 21, 1993                   TAG: 9301210129
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A-5   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: MIAMI                                LENGTH: Short

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EXPERT SAYS WHIRLWINDS MADE HURRICANE WORSE

Some of Hurricane Andrew's worst damage last August was caused by a newly discovered phenomenon - powerful, short-lived whirlwinds ripping along curving paths within the storm, a scientist said Wednesday.

"This particular wind cannot be predicted. It's a very small area, less than one-thousandth of the entire Andrew area," said University of Chicago professor emeritus Ted Fujita.

The whirlwinds, or vortices, became Andrew's most destructive feature in southern Florida and explain sporadic, narrow bands of severe damage, Fujita said.

The vortices, lasting 10 seconds or less, spun at about 80 mph, but were pushed by 120-mph wind, giving them the force of 200 mph.

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