Wildfires Create Their Own Weather

Firefighters face dangerous and unpredictable challenges when mitigating large wildfires, like the High Park Fire in northern Colorado, but the challenges increase when the wildfires begin creating their own weather.

According to the Stormtracker 13 Weather team, the temperature within the fire is much hotter than in surrounding areas. This causes convective columns, which forces the air to rise, which in return turns into an area of low pressure.

Pyrocumulus clouds are large clouds that will develop over the fire, and can resemble those of a thunderstorm.

According to Frank Cooper, a National Weather Service Meteorologist who forecasts the weather for areas impacted by the High Park Fire, pyrocumulus clouds can induce a thunderstorm and can even create light rain showers.

The National Weather Service clarifies that the amount of rain that could fall from a fire-induced storm most likely will not be enough to mitigate the fire.

Tornado-like structures have also been observed with larger wildfires. As the hot air rises, exterior winds can cause the air to rotate. Flames have been known to become incorporated within these rotating columns producing a fire-whirl or fire tornado.

Another weather-event that can be cause by a wildfire are gusty winds, on an otherwise calm day.

The winds will rush from the areas of high pressure surrounding the fire, toward the area of low pressure within the fire.

These are all features firefighters need to take into account when fighting the High Park Fire.

?Now, it?s a matter of watching it than anything else,? said Cooper.