A NASA high-altitude research aircraft conducted flights over the wildfires in British Columbia over the weekend to enhance understanding of the weather phenomena triggered by large fires. The ER-2 plane was tracked online flying multiple times over B.C.’s southern Interior on Saturday in a flight lasting over six hours, originating from Great Falls, Montana. Flight data from the Flightradar24 website revealed that the aircraft spent approximately four hours at an altitude of 60,000 feet above the Clinton area, where the extensive Pear Lake wildfire is ongoing. It also flew east over Lake Revelstoke before re-entering U.S. airspace.
NASA’s website states that the ER-2 is studying pyrocumulonimbus clouds, characterized as one of the least comprehended severe weather occurrences on Earth. The B.C. Wildfire Service noted that the Pear Lake wildfire, covering nearly 1,500 square kilometers, has generated such clouds formed by intense smoke and heat, capable of producing rain, lightning, and fire whirls.
The ER-2, a modified Cold War spy plane based on the U-2 model, has achieved altitude flight records up to twice the typical commercial flight altitude. Equipped with advanced infrared wildfire trackers, NASA uses the aircraft to collect data on pyrocumulonimbus clouds. These unique storms, shrouded in smoke and lightning, can pose hazards for aviators above and ignite new fires below. By monitoring and mapping these storms in real-time, scientists aim to improve future forecasting capabilities.
