Extreme wildfires can create their own dangerous weather, including fire tornadoes – here's how
Persistent heat waves and dry lightning are part of the problem. For firefighters, the erratic behavior gets dangerous quickly.
Leila Carvalho, Professor of Meteorology and Climatology, University of California, Santa Barbara •
conversation
Aug. 25, 2020 • ~6 min
Aug. 25, 2020 • ~6 min
storms wildfire heat-wave drought natural-disasters weather tornado lightning fire-risk
Western wildfires are spinning off tornadoes – here’s how fires create their own freakish weather
Persistent heat waves and dry lightning are part of the problem. For firefighters, the erratic behavior gets dangerous quickly.
Leila Carvalho, Professor of Meteorology and Climatology, University of California, Santa Barbara •
conversation
Aug. 25, 2020 • ~6 min
Aug. 25, 2020 • ~6 min
storms wildfire heat-wave drought natural-disasters weather tornado lightning fire-risk
What is a derecho? An atmospheric scientist explains these rare but dangerous storm systems
Hurricane and tornado winds spin in circles, but there's another, equally dangerous storm type where winds barrel straight ahead. They're called derechos, and are most common in summer.
Russ Schumacher, Associate Professor of Atmospheric Science and Colorado State Climatologist, Colorado State University
• conversation
June 15, 2020 • ~9 min
June 15, 2020 • ~9 min
hurricane storms meteorology natural-disasters weather-forecasting weather tornado thunderstorm great-plains
Tornadoes that strike at night are more deadly and require more effective warning systems
In the Southeast US, tornadoes strike at night more often than in other regions. This poses special challenges for getting early warnings to the public.
Alisa Hass, Assistant Professor of Geoscience, Middle Tennessee State University
• conversation
March 5, 2020 • ~8 min
March 5, 2020 • ~8 min
social-media storms meteorology natural-disasters weather-forecasting early-warning-systems tornado tennessee disaster-preparedness
/
1