A NASA high-altitude research aircraft conducted flights over wildfires in British Columbia to enhance understanding of the meteorological effects caused by large fires. The ER-2 plane was tracked online as it flew multiple times over B.C.’s southern Interior on a six-hour flight originating from Great Falls, Montana. Flight data from Flightradar24 revealed that the aircraft spent approximately four hours at 60,000 feet above the Clinton area, where the significant Pear Lake wildfire is active, before heading east over Lake Revelstoke and back into U.S. airspace.
NASA’s research with the ER-2 aircraft focuses on pyrocumulonimbus clouds, which are described as one of the Earth’s least understood severe weather phenomena. The B.C. Wildfire Service reports that the Pear Lake wildfire, spanning nearly 1,500 square kilometers, has generated these clouds through extreme smoke and heat, leading to the potential formation of rain, lightning, and fire tornadoes.
The ER-2, a modified Cold War spy plane also known as the U-2, has a history of conducting high-altitude flights, surpassing commercial flight altitudes by up to twice the typical levels. Equipped with advanced infrared wildfire tracking technology, the aircraft collects crucial data on pyrocumulonimbus clouds. NASA emphasizes that these storms, characterized by smoky conditions and lightning, pose risks for both air travel and fire propagation, underscoring the importance of real-time monitoring and forecasting by scientists.