NATURE - The monstrous fires that are now charring vast areas of western North America aren’t just colossal and fast-moving, they have also created their own thunderstorms — an example of exotic fire behavior that scientists say is becoming more common as the climate changes.
Both the Park Fire, which has burnt more than 160,000 hectares in northern California, and the Jasper Fire, which has destroyed around one-third of the resort town of Jasper in Canada, have spawned ‘pyrocumulonimbus’ clouds, towering formations that can spit lightning, potentially starting more fires.
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There are three essential ingredients for a large wildfire, says James Gomez, a PhD student studying wildfires at the University of California, Riverside (Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences): dry fuel; hot, dry, windy weather; and a source of ignition. Climate change is making two of those more common.“ Conditions will be ideal for fires like these more often,” Gomez says.