Pyrocumulus: A cumulus-type cloud triggered by a heat source on the surface. From Greek pyro- (combining form, "fire") and Latin cumulus ("heap" or "pile"). Pyrocumulus clouds may be caused by wildfires, volcanos, or nuclear explosions; the nuclear "mushroom cloud" is a type of pyrocumulus. (Source: Skybrary.)
The recent wildfires in Southern California have caused some spectacular pyrocumulus clouds. Here's a photo of one such cloud created by the Station Fire* on Mt. Wilson:
From a Flickr set by EricF2000. Used under Creative Commons license.
Watch a time-lapse video of pyrocumulus clouds caused by one of last week's wildfires in the Los Angeles area (via The Cloud Appreciation Society).
More posts about fire names here. For current California fire information, see the incident page of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) website.
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* The Station Fire was named for the communications towers on Mt. Wilson that transmit feeds to every television station in the L.A. basin.
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