How Wildfires Bring Rain and Change the Weather

How Wildfires Bring Rain and Change the Weather

By Kyle Hilburn & conversation

The following article is reprinted with permission from: conversationAn online publication covering cutting-edge research.wildfire explosionFire whirlpools, massive thunderstorms: if a fire gets big enough and hot enough, it can actually create weather all by itself.

These severe fire situationThe usual methods of firefighters directly fighting fires are ineffective, and wildfires burn out of control.

But how can fire create weather?

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I am atmospheric scientist Who uses the data collected from satellites? Weather forecasting model To better predict extreme fire weather events. Satellite data shows that fire-related thunderstorms are much more common than anyone realized just a few years ago. Here’s what’s happening.

The link between wildfires and weather

Imagine a wilderness landscape with dry grass, bushes, and trees. Lightning or tree limbs can strike power lines, causing sparks. If the weather is hot, dry, and windy, those sparks can quickly start a forest fire.

When plants burn, they release a lot of heat. This heats the air near the ground, and that air rises like a hot air balloon because hot air is less dense than cold air. Then, cold air rushes in and fills the void left by the rising air.

If you do this Wildfires create their own wind patterns.

What happens next depends on what happens next. stability of the atmosphere. As the temperature cools rapidly with increasing altitude above the ground, rising air is always warmer than its surroundings and continues to rise. If it gets high enough, moisture will condense. Formation of clouds known as cumulus clouds or Flamagenitus.

As the air continues to rise, at some point the condensed moisture will freeze.

If a cloud contains both liquid and frozen water particles, Collisions between these particles can lead to ~ electrical charge separation. When the charge buildup is large enough, an electrical discharge (better known as lightning) occurs to neutralize the charge.

Whether fire clouds turn into thunderstorms depends on: 3 Key Ingredients: Causes of turbulence, instability and moisture.

dry lightning

Wildfire environments are typically moisture-limited. When conditions in the lower atmosphere are dry, this can lead to: dry lightning.

No one who lives in an environment prone to wildfires wants to see dry lightning. This happens when a thunderstorm produces lightning, but the precipitation evaporates before it reaches the ground. That means there is no rain to help fight the lightning-caused fire.

whirlwind of fire

As air rises in the atmosphere, the speed and direction of the wind can change. This is called wind direction. Wind shear. This causes the air to rotate. The rising air can tilt the rotation to the vertical. Similar to a tornado.

These fire tornadoes can have strong winds that can spread burning ash and start new fire zones, but they are not usually true tornadoes because they are not associated with rotating thunderstorms.

The Declining Storm

Eventually, thunderstorms generated by wildfires will begin to die down, and the thunderstorms that were raised will descend again. The downdraft of a decaying thunderstorm can produce: Irregular winds on the groundThe fire may spread further in unpredictable directions.

As fires create their own weather, their behavior can become more unpredictable and erratic, which only increases the threat to residents and firefighters battling the fire. Anticipating changes in fire behavior is important for everyone’s safety.

Satellites show that fire weather isn’t that rare.

Meteorologists have recognized that: The ability of fire to generate thunderstorms In the late 1990s, but not before it was released. GOES-R series Satellites scientists had in 2017 High resolution images It is important to realize that fire-related weather phenomena are actually quite common.

Today, these satellites can provide firefighters with warnings of new fires. Even before calling 911. It’s important because Increasing trend Wildfires have increased in number, size, and frequency across the United States.

Climate change and increased fire risk

There is a risk of heat and drought. It’s growing in North AmericaAs global temperatures rise more frequently, dry landscapes and forests are more susceptible to fire, and climate model experiments show that: Human-caused climate change will continue to increase that risk..

As global warming increases the number of people moving to fire-prone areas, Risk of fire Also rising. Fires are breaking out. Chain risk Landscapes with burn marks that persist long after the fire has been extinguished Much more vulnerable to landslides Debris flows that can affect water quality and ecosystems.

Communities can reduce: Vulnerability to fire damage Build defensible spaces and firebreaks Making homes and property less vulnerableFirefighters can also reduce surrounding fuel loads by putting out designated fires.

It is important to remember that fire is a natural part of the Earth system. As a fire scientist, Stephen J. Fine He writes that we humans must recalibrate our relationship with fire and learn to live with it.

This article was originally published on: conversation. Read it Original article.