pyrocumulonimbus

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English

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Etymology

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From pyro- +‎ cumulonimbus.

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): /ˌpaɪɹəʊˌkjuːmjʊləˈnɪmbəs/
  • Audio (Southern England):(file)

Noun

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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.
    Synonym: cumulonimbus flammagenitus
    Coordinate term: thunderhead
    • 2020, Daniel Mathews, Trees in Trouble: Wildfires, Infestations, and Climate Change[1], Catapult, →ISBN:
      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.
    • [2021 July 19, Henry Fountain, “How Bad Is the Bootleg Fire? It’s Generating Its Own Weather.”, in The New York Times[2], →ISSN:
      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.]