The smoke plume billowing from the Alexander Mountain Fire west of Loveland – which had grown to 950 acres just before 8 p.m. Monday – was visible on doppler radar.
According to the National Weather Service, radar can detect smoke during dry conditions. The smoke particles bouncing off the radar beam appear like precipitation on weather radar.
- Denver7 Chief Meteorologist Mike Nelson shows the Alexander Mountain Fire smoke on radar in the video player below:
It’s a “routine” phenomenon, according to a study by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association and other meteorological researchers published in 2020. According to the study, weather radar can actually be a useful tool in wildfire detection.
“Their high sensitivity enables detecting and tracking plumes, and helps management of wildfires,” the study reads. “Detection of wildfires by weather radar is on average 5 min after ignition compared to the 15 min delay achieved with human observers.”
Wildfire
Photos show magnitude of Alexander Mountain Fire burning west of Loveland
The Alexander Mountain Fire smoke plume was expected to create hazy skies over the northern and northeastern part of the state on Tuesday, according to Denver7’s smoke forecast.
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