Latest news with #Cal Fire
Bloomberg
6 days ago
- Climate
- Bloomberg
Fires, Storms and Blazing Temperatures Forecast for Western US
Fires, storms and the potential for near-record high temperatures across the western US are in the offing for the coming week. The Gifford Fire, about 125 miles (201 kilometers) northwest of Los Angeles, had burned 113,648 acres and was 21% contained through Saturday, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, commonly known as Cal Fire. So far, 809 people have been evacuated and the Los Padres National Forest was closed because of the flames. There are 3,935 fire crews and support staff on the scene, and at least seven have been injured, according to a joint statement by Cal Fire, the US Forest Service and several local agencies.
Forbes
14-07-2025
- Climate
- Forbes
Yes, That Fire-Induced Tornado In The Viral Video Is Real
FILE - This July 26, 2018 file image taken from video released by Cal Fire shows a fire tornado over ... More Lake Keswick Estates near Redding, Calif. A new study says a rare fire tornado that raged during the deadly wildfire this summer in Northern California was created by a combination of scorching weather, erratic winds and an ice-topped cloud that towered miles into the atmosphere. The study announce Wednesday, Dec. 5, 2018, in the Geophysical Research Letters journal used satellite and radar data to suggest how a monstrous "firenado" the size of three football fields developed on July 26. (Cal Fire via AP, File) This week stunning footage of a fire-induced tornado in Utah is making its way around social media. Some posts claim the apocalypse. Others are saying that it is some type of AI-generated video. After seeing the footage, it is certainly one of the most impressive videos this meteorologist has seen, but it's definitely real. The vortex observed on July 12 was associated with the Deer Creek Fire burning in southeastern Utah. Footage was shared by the Bureau of Land Management and spread like, well, wildfire. There is no actual technical term called 'firenado," but people and media often use the terminology. The U.S. Forest Service Glossary defined a fire whirl as, 'A Spinning vortex column of ascending hot air and gases rising from a fire and carrying aloft smoke, debris, and flame. Fire whirls range in size from less than one foot to more than 500 feet in diameter.' While larger fire whirls can be as strong as a weak tornado, I think this was something slightly different if we are being consistent with scientific literature. My initial assessment is that it was a 'pyrotornado.' In 2020, I wrote, 'Pyrotornadoes form from pyrocumulonimbus clouds by taking pre-existing spin (vorticity) at the surface and stretching it upward through a combination of strong upward motion (updraft) and intense latent heat release (energy associated with phase changes of water vapor to cloud water).' According to a 2018 study published in Geophysical Research Letters that process might be different than those associated with fire swirls or whirls, which are derived from processed related to the fire. While all of these are often referred to as fire tornadoes or firenadoes, researchers have detected subtle differences in how they are organized. This Saturday, July 8, 2017, photo provided by the Santa Barbara County Fire Department shows a ... More large fire whirl developing from erratic winds near Tepesquet Road in a wildfire east of Santa Maria, Calif., in Santa Barbara County, Calif. Wildfires barreled across the baking landscape of the western U.S. and Canada, destroying a smattering of homes, forcing thousands to flee and temporarily trapping children and counselors at a California campground. Southern California crews hope slightly cooler temperatures and diminishing winds will help in the battle Sunday. (Mike Eliason/Santa Barbara County Fire Department via AP) Pyrotornadoes are also distinct from tornadoes on the Great Plains, which are associated with a rotating cloud system called a supercell. According to the Royal Meteorological Society MetMatters, A pyrocumulonimbus clouds or 'cumulonimbus flammagenitus' are, 'Thunder clouds created by intense heat from the Earth's surface. They are formed similarly to cumulonimbus clouds, but the intense heat that results in the vigorous updraft comes from fire, either large wildfires or volcanic eruptions.' CANBERRA, AUSTRALIA - JANUARY 31: A pyrocumulonimbus cloud is generated by the intense Orroral ... More Valley bushfire buring to the south of Canberra. The rising heat from the intense bushfires can create massive, powerful clouds that produce their own weather. January 31, 2020 in Canberra, Australia. ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr declared a State of Emergency on Friday, as the Orroral Valley bushfire continues to burn out of control. Hot and windy weather conditions forecast for the weekend are expected to increase the bushfire threat to homes in the Canberra region. It is the worst bushfire threat for the area since 2003, when four people died and 470 homes were destroyed or damaged. (Photo by)
