A NASA high-altitude research aircraft conducted flights over the wildfires in British Columbia last weekend to gain insights into the weather patterns produced by large fires. Flight tracking data indicates that the ER-2 plane flew multiple times over B.C.’s southern Interior on Saturday for over six hours, departing from Great Falls, Montana. Specifically, the aircraft spent around four hours at a 60,000 feet altitude over the Clinton area, where the extensive Pear Lake wildfire is active, before heading east towards Lake Revelstoke and back into U.S. airspace.
NASA’s mission with the ER-2 aircraft focuses on studying pyrocumulonimbus clouds, considered one of the Earth’s least understood severe weather phenomena. These clouds, generated by extreme smoke and heat from wildfires like the Pear Lake blaze, have the potential to trigger rain, lightning, and fire tornadoes, according to the B.C. Wildfire Service.
The ER-2, a revamped Cold War spy plane also known as the U-2, is equipped with advanced infrared wildfire tracking technology to collect crucial data on pyrocumulonimbus clouds. NASA emphasizes that these unique storms, filled with smoke and lightning, can pose risks to aviators and ignite new fires on the ground. By monitoring and mapping these hazardous weather events in real-time, scientists aim to improve future forecasting capabilities.
The flight path of NASA’s ER-2 Earth Resources aircraft over British Columbia on August 8 was closely monitored by Flightradar24, showcasing the aircraft’s maneuvers during the research mission. NASA’s efforts to study these wildfire-induced weather phenomena will contribute to enhancing understanding and prediction of such events in the future.