NASA Aircraft Captures Rare Pileus Cloud Over Montana Wildfire

On August 11 2026, NASA’s ER‑2 aircraft equipped with the MASTER sensor photographed a veil‑like pileus cloud hovering above a pyrocumulus generated by the Sand Creek wildfire in Montana. The image, taken at 5:40 p. m. local time, shows the pileus forming when the fire’s intense updraft pushed moist air upward, cooling and condensing into the characteristic circular cloud. The observation, part of the INSPYRE campaign, links surface fire dynamics to the convective plume and cloud processes, providing detailed data on the extreme updrafts that drive wildfire‑induced weather. The pileus was visible in only one of the 30‑minute‑interval images, underscoring its brief lifespan.