Pilots based on the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains in Colorado know that the winter brings on the mountain wave.
What they don’t expect in winter? For that wave to feed a storm of flames on the ground.
When the Mountain Wave Fires Up a Storm, Pilots Learn From It
Key Takeaways:
- The Marshall Fire in Colorado rapidly escalated into a massive conflagration, destroying over 570 homes in communities like Superior and Louisville, primarily fueled by strong "mountain wave" winds and unusually dry winter conditions.
- Rocky Mountain Metro Airport (KBJC) was located within the mandatory evacuation zone and closed due to the fire, though it was largely spared from direct damage.
- The fire's dense smoke plume dramatically revealed the otherwise invisible power of the downslope "mountain wave" winds, a meteorological phenomenon generated by cold, stable air accelerating over the Continental Divide.
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