Hot-burning B.C. wildfires creating their own weather, spawning thunderstorms and lightning strikes
Wildfires in the British Columbia Interior are pumping so much hot smoke and ash high into the atmosphere, they are actually creating their own micro-weather.
Meteorologists call the resulting phenomenon pyro-cumulonimbus clouds, and say they can spawn thunderstorms and lightning strikes which can then ignite more fires.
“In many ways they look like a very severe thunderstorm from the ground and from space,” said Michael Fromm, a meteorologist with the United States Naval Research Laboratory. “And so they will generate lightning just because of the same mechanism that generates lightning in a regular thunderstorm.”
Thousands of lightning strikes in B.C. over the last few days are blamed for igniting dozens of new wildfires – and officials expect more to spark in the coming days.
“To the extent that you have these lighting up or impinging on communities, you have to be very mindful because these storms, when they occur, are dynamic feedback loops within themselves,” said Fromm. “They create their own weather, exacerbate their own fire weather.”
Fromm went on to say with more unseasonably warm weather in the forecast, and already tinder-dry conditions in B.C.’s forests, he expects the wildfire situation could potentially get much worse as the summer progresses.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
LIVE B.C. seeks ban on using drugs in 'all public spaces,' shifting approach to decriminalization
The B.C. government is moving to have drug use banned in 'all public spaces,' marking a major shift in the province's approach to decriminalization.
Air traveller complaints to Canadian Transportation Agency hit new high
The Canadian Transportation Agency has hit a record high of more than 71,000 complaints in a backlog. The quasi-judicial regulator and tribunal tasked with settling disputes between customers and the airlines says the backlog is growing because the number of incoming complaints keeps increasing.
Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
U.S. flight attendant indicted in attempt to record teen girl in airplane bathroom
An American Airlines flight attendant was indicted Thursday after authorities said he tried to secretly record video of a 14-year-old girl using an airplane bathroom last September.
76ers All-Star centre Joel Embiid says he has Bell's palsy
Philadelphia 76ers All-Star centre Joel Embiid has been diagnosed with Bell’s palsy, a form of facial paralysis he says has affected him since before the play-in tournament.
AFN chief says Air Canada offered a 15% discount after her headdress was mishandled
After the Assembly of First Nations' national chief complained to Air Canada about how staffers treated her and her ceremonial headdress on a flight this week, she says the airline responded by offering a 15 per cent discount on her next flight.
Trump's lawyers try to discredit testimony of prosecution's first witness in hush money trial
Donald Trump's defence team attacked the credibility Friday of the prosecution's first witness in his hush money case, seeking to discredit testimony detailing a scheme between Trump and a tabloid to bury negative stories to protect the Republican's 2016 presidential campaign.