Wildfires can generate tornadoes, lightning and other extreme weather, sometimes miles from the flames

the gist

Wildfires do not just respond to the weather; once they become intense enough, they can create their own. Rising hot air above flames can form updrafts that spin into fire whirls, sometimes called fire tornadoes, which stay confined to the burn area. The rising smoke plume can condense into pyrocumulus clouds, and if the fire is strong enough these can grow into pyrocumulonimbus thunderstorms. Ice particles colliding inside these clouds separate electrical charges and produce lightning, which can ignite new fires beyond the original perimeter. A late July 2026 fire near Saumos in southwestern France produced such a storm. Smoke can also travel thousands of miles and act as seeds for cloud droplets, which can delay or shift rainfall downwind. In some smoke-affected storms, positive lightning, which is more powerful and damaging, made up more than 40% of cloud-to-ground strikes.

so what

Fires that generate their own lightning and storms can spread far beyond their original boundaries, making firefighting harder and forecasts less reliable. As large wildfires become more frequent, understanding these feedbacks is becoming essential for managing air quality, health and weather.

fun fact

Fire whirls, sometimes called fire tornadoes, are formed by the same basic process as ordinary tornadoes, though they are usually smaller.

Illustrative photo · Cal Fire, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

source: The Conversation ↗

historyWikipediaclassic1336–1565 · Karnataka, India

Hampi was once one of the world's largest cities, until its Vijayanagara capital was destroyed in 1565

the gist

Hampi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Karnataka, India, with more than 1,600 surviving remains spread over 4,100 hectares. It was the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire from 1336 to 1565. Travellers from Persia and Portugal described it as a prosperous, wealthy and grand city with temples, markets and farms along the Tungabhadra River. By 1500 it was estimated to be the world's second-largest city after Beijing, and probably India's richest at the time. In 1565 a coalition of Muslim sultanates defeated the Vijayanagara Empire, its capital was conquered and destroyed, and the city was left in ruins. Hampi remains a religious centre, with the active Virupaksha Temple at its heart.

how it works

The city was built around a fortified core with temples, markets and water structures along the river, supplied by an extensive network of roads and waterworks. When the empire fell, the city was not rebuilt, so its stone monuments were left standing.

so what

Hampi shows how quickly a great city can vanish after a military defeat, and how a ruined capital can remain sacred. Its ruins give historians a view of medieval South Asia that few other sites can match.

fun fact

The name Hampi comes from Pampa, an old name for the Tungabhadra River.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia · text CC BY-SA 4.0

Image: Wikimedia Commons

source: Wikipedia ↗

2 min

politicsshortCNA2:01

False allegations about Singapore’s hand in Indonesia’s markets and a made-up meeting

from CNA

CNA Verify has found close to 400 posts pushing falsehoods tying Singapore to Indonesia’s stock market rout and to a secret meeting that never took place. Together, they drew nearly 12 million views, and some were circulated by accounts that appeared to be working in concert, across multiple social media platforms.

Here’s how the disinformation campaign targeting Singapore was uncovered.

on YouTube: CNA ↗