Weather Wednesdays: Thunderstorms and Wildfires

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — Images of vast clouds of wildfire smoke towering into the sky have become all too familiar from recent active fire years across the western United States, but did you know wildfires can actually spawn their own thunderstorms?

Video captured Tuesday just north of Kern County, shows a thunderstorm near Lake Isabella.

The thunderstorm had classic structure like we see in our textbooks, showing the cumulonimbus cloud or “breaking the cap,” and shooting above to form an anvil in the upper atmosphere.

At this point in the mature stage of the storm, that updraft is still feeding the storm, but precipitation is beginning to fall out of the storm creating a downdraft.

When the downdraft and rain-cooled air spreads out along the ground it forms a gust front, or a line of gusty winds. The mature stage is the most likely time for hail, heavy rain, frequent lightning, strong winds, and tornadoes.

The question stands… but how do you know if it’s a thunderstorm that formed on its own or if it was created by a wildfire underneath?

Watch the full segment in the video player for an in depth explanation.

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