4 ways wildfires generate tornadoes, lightning and other extreme weather, sometimes miles from the flames
1 min read
Photo: A pyrocumulus cloud rises above a wildfire in the Angeles National Forest in Southern California – March 18, 2012. Photo credit: Jeremy A. Greene via Wikimedia Commons. CC BY-SA 4.0 (photo resized to fit). Article by Yunyao Li. The Conversation – July 30, 2026.
Thick smoke from massive wildfires has been spreading in North America and Europe once again in 2026. The health impacts of breathing this particle-filled air are becoming well known, but wildfires’ influence on the weather is less widely recognized. We often think about weather controlling wildfires: Dry air, heat, wind and lightning determine when fires start and how quickly they spread. However, once a wildfire becomes intense enough, the relationship can flip. Instead of simply responding to the weather, the fire begins to create its own weather. […]
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Photo: A fire whirl. The Douglas Complex Fire near Glendale, OR – July 26, 2013. Photo credit: Oregon Department of Forestry by Marvin Vetter via USDA / Flickr. CC BY 2.0.
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