Grand Canyon Megafire Spawns Own Weather

A wildfire burning along the Grand Canyon's North Rim escalated dramatically this week, crossing the 100,000-acre mark and earning the designation of a "megafire"—a status held by only about 3% of US wildfires but responsible for most of the acreage burned each year, per CNN. The Dragon Bravo Fire, ignited by lightning on July 4, has now consumed almost 112,000 acres, about triple the size of Washington, DC, and is just 9% contained as of Friday, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. CBS News notes that circumventing the fire "would be roughly like driving from New York City to Washington, DC."

Initially, crews opted to manage the blaze as a controlled burn, but the situation quickly spiraled. By mid-July, the fire had destroyed the historic Grand Canyon Lodge, along with at least 70 other structures, including cabins and a visitors center. The fire's containment peaked at 26% last weekend, but that progress was undone as high temps and strong winds triggered unpredictable fire behavior, setting back firefighting efforts.

The Dragon Bravo Fire's intensity has been enough to generate its own weather. For at least a week, pyrocumulus "fire clouds" formed above the blaze, a phenomenon caused by hot air rising rapidly over intense heat sources. Fire officials warn that if conditions escalate further, these clouds could evolve into pyrocumulonimbus, or "fire thunderstorm" clouds, which are capable of producing lightning and even tornadoes—potentially igniting new fires or reigniting smothered zones. Looking ahead, crews face a daunting forecast: An extreme heat warning is in effect through at least Tuesday, with wind gusts expected to hit 30mph early next week.