Oregon Bootleg fire triggers rare TORNADO as 80 wildfires rage and another ‘heat dome’ set to scorch US next week

Oregon’s Bootleg fire triggered a rare tornado as 80 wildfires rage across the country and another “heat dome” is set to scorch the United States next week.

The Bootleg fire – which is currently the largest blaze in the US and threatening thousands of homes – led to the unusual twister.

Derek Williams / Facebook / Bootleg Fire InfoA tornado was confirmed on the eastern perimeter of the Bootleg Fire on July 18, 2021[/caption]

NOAANOAA’s heat dome/temperature forecast map[/caption]

APThe Bootleg Fire burns at night in southern Oregon on Saturday, July 17, 2021[/caption]

APFlames and smoke from the Bootleg fire are seen in southern Oregon on July 14, 2021[/caption]

The official Bootleg Fire Facebook revealed on Saturday that a tornado was confirmed on July 18, 2021, on “the eastern perimeter of the Bootleg Fire.”

According to the announcement, “extreme fire behavior, dry fuels, and unstable atmosphere” created the tornado.

The official Facebook page said meteorologist Derek William confirmed the tornado with the Medford National Weather Service Forecast Office.

“This rare weather event data will be saved and studied by meteorologists and fire researchers to help identify future events,” the post concluded.

People across the US, have also seen another rare occurrence – the sun has been appearing to be much more red than usual due to the wildfires.

The altered color is a result of dense smoke particles in the upper reaches of the atmosphere.

As of Saturday, less than half of the Bootleg Fire was contained, the Associated Press reports.

Additionally, the US has more than 85 wildfires burning across the country – and more than 1.4 million acres of land have been burned.

“This fire is resistant to stopping at dozer lines,” fire behavior analyst Jim Hanson said in an Oregon Department of Forestry news release.

He added: “With the critically dry weather and fuels we are experiencing, firefighters are having to constantly reevaluate their control lines and look for contingency options.”

Meanwhile, as firefighting crews battle wildfires in Weber County, Utah, homes were evacuated, FOX 13 Salt Lake City reported.

Wildfires between Snowbasin Resort and Pineview Reservoir – called the Art Nord Fire – led to the evacuations.

Investigators said target shooting led to the fire which started after 4pm local time.

Air tankers were brought in to drop retardant on the fire, according to reports.

As wildfires continue to burn across the nation, a “heat dome” is set to form over the weekend, Axios reports.

The news report explains a “head dome” to be “an area of high pressure aloft that helps to lock in place hot, dry weather.”

It is set to form in the West and make its way across the Central Plains.

Earlier this week, a chilling map showed vast areas of the US were under a blanket of haze caused by dozens of fires on the west coast – as an army of nearly 20,000 firefighters attempted to stop the spread. 

The wildfires led to a mass haze across the nation, with a new smoke and fire map from AirNow showing the majority of the country blanketed in a cloud of thick smog.

ReutersA firefighting aircraft is seen near massive plumes of smoke in Oregon on July 15, 2021[/caption]

ReutersPlumes of smoke are seen as the Bootleg Fire expands in Bly, Oregon[/caption]