WHIRLWIND
Circular movement of air caused when two air currents coming from opposite directions come into contact.
In the Middle East they are common as the rainy season approaches, and they preferably appear not far from the coast. They are enormously destructive.
It is mentioned frequently in the OT as one of the means by which God manifests himself in judgment (Ps. 83:15; Nah. 1:3; Zech. 7:14). It is also used figuratively of the retributive punishment that those who have sown evil will receive (Hos. 8:7).
On two occasions it is related to the south (Jb. 37:9; Zec. 9:14). Elijah was caught up in a chariot of fire in the midst of a whirlwind (2 Kings 2:1, 11).