'An unworldly experience.' Why scientists flew into firestorm clouds this wildfire season
Summary
Scientists are flying planes into special storm clouds called pyrocumulonimbus, or firestorm clouds, that form over large wildfires. These clouds can send smoke high into the atmosphere and cause extreme weather, but researchers do not fully understand how they work.Key Facts
- Firestorm clouds form above the hottest wildfires and can push smoke into the stratosphere, similar to volcanic eruptions.
- These clouds cause severe weather like lightning and firenadoes (tornadoes made of fire and smoke).
- Scientists from NASA, the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, and the National Center for Atmospheric Research are studying these clouds.
- The research team flew aircraft equipped with instruments into and above wildfire smoke plumes to collect data.
- The mission is called INSPYRE, which stands for Injected Smoke and Pyrocumulonimbus Experiment.
- The goal is to understand how firestorm clouds form and behave to improve weather and safety predictions.
- This study is one of the first to get direct measurements inside these dangerous clouds.
- Researchers describe their work as chasing storms caused by wildfires to better track them in real time.
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