Saturday, May 7th, 2022, 4:47 PM – A wildfire near Fort Lauderdale, Florida, produced several heavy thunderstorms, producing hail and blizzards just off the coast.
Thunderstorms often cause forest fires, but it’s not every day that you see wildfires in thunderstorms.
The heat of fires spreading across southeastern Florida triggered a cluster of strong thunderstorms off the coast on Saturday, prompting the US National Weather Service to issue a special maritime warning for boats in the area.
Forecasters warned that thunderstorms were capable of producing waterlogging, strong winds and small hail.
Weather radar imagery on Saturday afternoon showed smoke rising from the eastern Everglades. Westerly winds carried smoke and warm air offshore over the Atlantic Ocean, where instability gave rise to several strong thunderstorms.
A huge wildfire west of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, just offshore has a strong thunderstorm. The NWS has warned that storms could cause waterlogging, high winds and small hail. It is not unusual for the intense heat of a wildfire to cause thunderstorms if conditions are favourable. pic.twitter.com/jUeONppDq2
A huge wildfire west of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, just offshore has a strong thunderstorm. The NWS has warned that storms could be accompanied by gusty winds, high winds and small hail.
It is not uncommon for thunderstorms to occur in the intense heat of a wildfire if conditions are favourable. Dennis Mersereau on Twitter: “A large wildfire west of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, is driving strong winds along the coast. The NWS warns that the storm could cause waterlogging, high winds and small hail. It is not unusual for wildfires to trigger intense heat. Scattered thunderstorms if conditions remain favourable. pic.twitter.com/jUeONppDq2/Twitter”
Drought conditions and continued drought in southern Florida created favorable conditions for several wildfires to increase this week.
Broward and Palm Beach counties reported three major wildfires in the Eastern Everglades. Combined, the blazes have consumed nearly 10,000 hectares of land, and state officials report that the fire is about 50 percent contained.
Strong wildfires often generate pyrocumulonimbus clouds below the most intense flames. Full blooming of these billowing updrafts is not uncommon, especially when conditions are moderately favorable for convection in the region.
A major wildfire over the Texas Panhandle in May 2018 triggered a severe thunderstorm that moved several dozen kilometers away to produce large hail and destructive winds.
Fire-induced thunderstorms don’t always rain. Lightning in these dry thunderstorms could spread more wildfires—a situation we saw with the 2016 fire at Fort McMurray, Alberta, as well as the devastating wildfires in British Columbia last summer.
thumbnail courtesy of NOAA
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