Wildfires in US West spur ‘fire clouds’ along with Grand Canyon “mega fire”
Two wildfires burning in the western United States are so hot that they are spurring the formation of “fire clouds” that can create their own erratic weather systems.
In Arizona, a superhot wildfire system has already destroyed the iconic Grand Canyon Lodge is responsible for burning 164 sq miles. It is one of the top ten recorded in Arizona history.
An emergency was declared in Utah as a megafire near Monroe continued to consume 75 sq miles. Evacuation orders for several towns Utah in the fire’s path, as burned up power lines caused electricity to be shut off in communities in south-central Utah.
Towering convection clouds known as pyrocumulus clouds have been spotted over Arizona’s blaze for seven consecutive days, fueling the fire with dry, powerful winds, fire information officer Lisa Jennings said. They form when air over the fire becomes superheated and rises in a large smoke column. The giant menacing anvil shaped clouds can be seen for hundreds of miles away..
Pyrocumulonimbus: Fire Cloud
Fire-fueled thunderstorms known as pyrocumulonimbus clouds are sending intense winds shooting in all directions this week as smoke columns form and then collapse on themselves.
A megafire along the North Rim of the Grand Canyon
The US is woefully underprepared for wildfire season in spite of the bullshit spewed by the Trump administration. Twenty-five percent of the force has been fired.
Monroe Canyon, Utah generating fire clouds
The Monroe Canyon Fire burning near Richfield in Sevier County continues to grow amid high winds and high temperatures.
