NASA scientists are studying towering pyrocumulonimbus, or pyroCb, clouds that formed above Utah's Widemouth 2 wildfire after the fire intensified in early August. On Aug. 3, 2026, an NSF/NCAR Gulfstream V aircraft flew through a high-altitude smoke plume from the fire over New Mexico, sampling smoke at roughly 12 kilometers (8 miles) above the ground.
The aircraft mission is part of NASA's INSPYRE (INjected Smoke and PYRocumulonimbus Experiment), which is investigating how wildfire-generated clouds can push smoke high into Earth's atmosphere. NASA Earth Observatory highlighted the Utah fire and the research on Aug. 17, 2026, as its Image of the Day.
The work matters because these clouds can do more than produce dangerous weather around a wildfire. The most powerful pyroCbs can send smoke and particles into the stratosphere, where they can spread over large areas and remain for months or even years.
