The wildfire creates a large cumulus or cumulonimbus cloud, we call it a pyrocumulus.
Yesterday, a large pyrocumulus cloud formed over the southwest side of the Olympics, associated with the 2000-acre Bear Gulch fire (see map below).
And, of course, it was apparent visually (see examples below).
With cooler temperatures expected later this week, with some mountain showers, one can be hopeful that the expansion of this fire will be limited.
I've been blown away by how much this fire has expanded in just the last couple of days after only exhibiting slow growth for about a month. I hope everyone in that area is staying safe, and that any damage can be kept to a minimum. That corner of the Olympic National Forest and Olympic National Park is beautiful.
ReplyDeleteAs for the pyrocumulus cloud, my first thought was that it looked like some of the cloud and atmospheric formations that occurred during the 1980 Mount Saint Helens eruption. Quite a sight to behold!
This was plainly visible from my home in Beacon Hill yesterday and I suspected the fire had increased in intensity. Here's to hoping some showers tame this thing.
ReplyDeleteI see on the watch duty app that there are two other, smaller, fires on the peninsula as well, including the Hamma fire which is also human caused. The irresponsibility is maddening
Indeed. People need to be much more careful when it comes to preventing wildfires.
DeleteSeveral years ago, the Australian State of New South Wales announced plans to start treating people who start wildfires as if they were kidnappers, killers, or terrorists, meaning that they would recieve very lengthy prison sentences, potentially decades (plural) long, if they were caught and convicted. I wonder if we need to do the same thing here to give people a stronger incentive to not start fires.
Noticed the fire really took off yesterday and recorded an impressive timelapse of it from about 4:30-9pm
ReplyDeletehttps://youtu.be/VKQJy2Sza2Q
It is getting scary dry all over Western Washington. Let's hope we don't get any more fires because they are going to be explosive
ReplyDeleteWe saw that cloud from directly across Hood Canal from the Lake Cushman/ONP fire. I called to the National Forest line for the managing of this fire about 7:00 PM . They had not noticed this, possibly because they were too close to see the "forest for the trees".
ReplyDeleteOn the whole, July 2025 was rather breezy at my location in Bellingham. The average monthly windspeed according to my roof anemometer was 3.0mph - the highest average speed for any July in at least 5 years of records.
ReplyDeleteI does not surprise me that things are starting to burn. There's been no rain to speak of for two months. We'd all be better off if we got a good rain shower once a week (preferably at night!)
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