How 'fire-generated thunderstorms' make wildfires more deadly
This article explains how 'pyrocumulonimbus' clouds, or fire-generated thunderstorms, form from intense wildfires, making them more dangerous and unpredictable. These clouds are created by the rapid rise of hot air, smoke, and ash, leading to turbulent winds that spread embers and lightning strikes that spark new blazes.
Why it matters
This phenomenon, increasingly observed due to climate change and extreme heatwaves, exacerbates the destructive power of wildfires, posing greater threats to human lives, property, and the environment, as seen in recent evacuations in France.
Image source, Reuters Image caption, Described by scientists as a "fire-generated thunderstorm", pyrocumulonimbus clouds are created in the skies of France
Tens of thousands of people have been evacuated from Bordeaux's surrounding region of Gironde, as France continues to fight against wildfires being stoked by an unprecedented "pyrocumulonimbus" or fire clouds.
Scientists sometimes describe these clouds as a fire-generated thunderstorm because the fire itself provides the energy needed to build the cloud.
The huge amount of heat generated by wildfires makes the air above the fire rise rapidly, carrying smoke, ash and water vapour high into the atmosphere.
As the air rises, it cools and the water vapour condenses into a cloud.
If the fire is powerful enough and the atmosphere is unstable, that cloud can grow into a towering cumulonimbus - the same type of cloud associated with thunderstorms .
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