JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Wildfires definitely influence their own weather, especially if they get big enough and hot enough.
Action News Jax First Alert Weather Meteorologist Garrett Bedenbaugh said a wildfire heats the air at the surface, and that warm air will rise, creating an updraft.
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Cooler air then rushes in and that can create erratic fire behavior in terms of the winds pushing the flames in different directions.
Wildfires cause a plume of hot air and smoke to rise, and cool, dense air rushes in, creating changing surface winds. As the air rises, it cools, allowing pyro cumulonimbus clouds to form.
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It looks essentially like a thunderstorm being created by a wildfire. In an unstable atmosphere, a thunderstorm can develop and actually produce rain.
When the rain evaporates and cools, it can produce a downburst of wind, enhancing the wind around the wildfire as well. In some cases, lightning may spark new fires.
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