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"unlike the fluffy white clouds to the east, the swirling brown clouds over california look more like dirty cauliflower or a used tampon, carrying a lot of smoke and ash thousands of feet into the air..."

this is exactly the horrific scene of california, which is being ravaged by wildfires, that was recently seen from space by high-resolution weather satellites from nasa and the united states geological survey (usgs).

"from space, california looks like it's been bombed," cnn reported on the 12th, saying that the wildfires in southern california are so severe that a specific meteorological cloud called "pyrocumulus" is forming in the central area. the faintly visible pink and orange spots are the fires that are still spreading and showing no signs of abating.

a picture of the sky over california taken by a weather satellite on september 9, local time. nasa official website

a pyrocumulus is a cumulus cloud that is formed when air rises rapidly due to strong updrafts and then condenses after adiabatic cooling. it is tall and spectacular, and its color appears darker due to the absorption of impurities such as smoke and dust in the air. its appearance often indicates that the scale and intensity of the fire are large, and it is usually produced in large-scale fires such as forest fires and volcanic eruptions.

according to mike flannigan, a professor at the department of natural resources sciences at thompson rivers university in canada, when the heat and updrafts are large enough, pyrocumulus clouds will be upgraded to "pyrocumulonimbus clouds". not only will thunderstorms occur, but new fires will also be easily started several kilometers away from the main fire, triggering air movement to form strong winds, leading to faster and unpredictable fire spread, posing greater challenges to firefighting.

for this reason, daniel swain, a climate scientist at the university of california, los angeles, calls pyrocumulus clouds "burning generators."

the "parker" wildfire that broke out in northern california at the end of july and burned 1,709 square kilometers produced pyrocumulus weather. the speed at which the fire spread shocked the firefighters: the fire, which started out as only a few hectares, quickly got out of control in just three days and turned into the fourth largest fire in california history.

a similar situation is happening in southern california.

cnn quoted nasa as saying that on the evening of the 9th, the fire in san bernardino county, california had produced cumulonimbus clouds, and thunder and rain began to fall. the possibility of lightning striking other dry areas and causing new fires is rapidly increasing.

the fire in the north has stopped for a while, but three large wildfires have been burning in southern california in recent days, with more than 3,000 firefighters dispatched. according to the california fire department, as of the evening of the 12th local time, the three wildfires have injured at least 15 firefighters and civilians, and more than 76,000 homes and commercial buildings have been threatened by the fires. there are no reports of deaths so far.

after thousands of people were evacuated locally, california authorities continued to expand mandatory evacuation orders, and governor newsom has dispatched the national guard to assist residents in the affected areas with evacuation.

national interagency fire center

according to information from us media and the official website of the u.s. national interagency fire center on the 12th, the "airport" fire that broke out in trabuco canyon in orange county, california on the 9th has burned nearly 95 square kilometers (23,453 acres) of land, and residents along the line are evacuating in accordance with evacuation orders.

cnn quoted county fire chief tj mcgovern as saying that the fire was caused by sparks from equipment used by two county public works department employees when placing obstacles on the road, and investigators have classified the fire as a "non-intentional fire."

another fire, the "bridge" fire in angeles national forest park in los angeles county, started on the 8th and is developing rapidly beyond people's imagination. as of thursday, the burned area quickly expanded to more than 200 square kilometers (51,792 acres) in 48 hours, destroying nearly 40 buildings.

according to california climate scientist swain, the fire almost did something "impossible" - "it burned directly to the other side of the mountain range in one day."

anthony marrone, chief of the los angeles county fire department, also said that this is currently the largest fire in california. john miller, a spokesman for the u.s. forest service, even called the fire a "hellfire."

the third fire, the "line" fire in san bernardino county, which started on the 5th and has burned more than 150 square kilometers (37,207 acres) of land, may be related to arson. on tuesday local time, justin wayne halstenberg, 34, was arrested on suspicion of starting the "line" fire.

the local prosecutor disclosed the latest situation at a press conference on thursday, saying that halstenberg currently faces nine charges, including arson causing more than $7 million in losses, causing serious bodily injuries such as a firefighter's broken ankle, and destroying a house in the community.

the prosecutor also stressed that as the fire continues to develop, it is not ruled out that halstenberg may face more charges. his bail is currently $80,000.

residents watched the airport fire from a distance on tuesday near lake elsinore, california. reuters

according to statistics from the national interdepartmental fire center on the 12th, there are currently 67 wildfires burning across the united states. nine of them occurred in california, burning an area equivalent to one-third of los angeles. california governor newsom revealed in his latest x post that a total of 36 fire trucks and 137 firefighters from washington state, utah and north dakota are providing support.

according to the agency's data, nearly 30,000 square kilometers (7 million acres) of land have been burned in more than 36,000 wildfires across the united states this year, and september this year was the month with the most wildfires since 2018. hot and dry weather, steep and rugged terrain, and smoke pose serious challenges to fire control.

source | observer.com