LAKE CUSHMAN, Wash. — While relief from the heat in the form of cool, Pacific breezes are on the way to Western Washington, the near-record hot temperatures on Tuesday has allowed two major fires in the Northwest to erupt with flames and smoke during the day.
One we’ve been tracking since July — the Bear Gulch Fire in Mason County on Lake Cushman — has burned over 5,000 acres and is only three percent contained. It has produced a large amount of smoke through Monday and Tuesday, occasionally bringing air quality near Hoodsport and Lake Cushman to the “hazardous” level.
With a hot and unstable environment around the fire, it has produced several "pyrocumulus clouds" at times. With the extreme heat and smoke rising from the fire, the hot air entering a cooler environment aloft has allowed an actual cloud to form, which continues to billow higher in the sky.
The process of creating a pyrocumulus cloud (pyro- meaning “fire) is almost identical to how an actual thunderstorm is produced, by rising warm air currents into a colder environment aloft. And sometimes, pyrocumulus clouds can actually produce rain (which would be helpful) or lightning (which would not.)
There are no indications as of early Tuesday evening of either rain or lightning with this feature. However, pyrocumulus formation can also be associated with strong, gusty winds in the vicinity.
The other big fire is a more than 2,000 acre fire on Vancouver Island.
While the Bear Gulch Fire will impact areas of Mason and Kitsap Counties with poor air quality into Tuesday night, smoke might also be smelled and air quality degraded in areas of King, Pierce, Thurston, and Lewis Counties.
Farther north, some reduced air quality could occur along the Strait and northern waters and adjacent areas on Tuesday night, from the fire near Port Alberni, B.C.
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