The Line Fire in Southern California is giving rise to massive billowing “fire clouds.”
As a gray plume rises from the fire now spreading through the San Bernardino Mountains, water is condensing around bits of soot, causing clouds to form atop the towering column of smoke, as captured in satellite imagery from NASA.
These pyrocumulus clouds are generating wind, rain, hail, and lightning. On Saturday, officials recorded 3,700 lightning strikes inside the clouds over the Line Fire, as well as more than 280 strikes that hit the ground. Lightning from “fire clouds” can spark new blazes, making it harder to keep flames contained.
More than 2,600 personnel are now battling the Line Fire, which has scorched more than 50 square miles. The fire took shape amid a record heat wave last week, which saw temperatures reach 114 degrees F (46 degrees C) in parts of Southern California.
The summer of 2024 set records globally, with the average temperature between June and August reaching an all-time high.
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