pyrocumulonimbus

Noun

pyrocumulonimbus (plural pyrocumulonimbi)

1. An extreme manifestation of a pyrocumulus, generated by the heat of a wildfire, that often rises to the upper troposphere or lower stratosphere.
   • An analysis of how this tornado formed sees several factors joining forces: the preexisting winds and local topography, a pyrocumulonimbus storm developing, and the addition of hotter-burning fuels as the fire hit groups of houses.2020, Daniel Mathews, Trees in Trouble: Wildfires, Infestations, and Climate Change, Catapult, →ISBN
   • Last Wednesday, though, conditions led to the creation of a larger, taller cloud called a pyrocumulonimbus, which is similar to a thunderhead. It likely reached an altitude of about 45,000 feet, said Neil Lareau, who studies wildfire behavior at the University of Nevada, Reno.[2021 July 19, Henry Fountain, “How Bad Is the Bootleg Fire? It’s Generating Its Own Weather.”, in The New York Times, →ISSN

   Synonyms:

   cumulonimbus flammagenitus