The fire is about five miles east of Happy Camp (10 west of Yreka) and is “exceptionally extreme”, going from 0 to 20,000 acres overnight. More lightning strikes hit the region last night. Tomorrow should be the last day of the heat wave, but unfortunately, the cool-down (highs in the 80s) also brings increased convective activity.
The #McKinneyFire in far Northern California is displaying exceptionally extreme and erratic fire behavior tonight, producing a nearly 50,000-foot (!!) pyrocumulonimbus plume as it spreads rapidly. This is the upper echelon of extreme fire behavior at night. #CAwx #CAfire
Per Daniel Swain: Not official yet, but looks like #McKinneyFire grew from zero to nearly 20,000 acres overnight and is still spreading rapidly (Red Flag Warning in effect today). Also apparently other nearby lightning ignitions that will be managed as complex in KNF. #CAwx #CAfire
