Clouds affected by wildfire smoke may produce less rain
Water droplets were, on average, half the size of those generated by unaffected clouds
![clouds in sky filled with smoke](https://i0.wp.com/www.sciencenews.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/090221_rc_wildfire-smoke_feat.jpg?fit=1030%2C580&ssl=1)
A lightning strike in Washington state’s Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest caused the 2018 Cougar Creek wildfire, which sent smoke billowing into the clouds above (shown). These smoke-filled clouds may produce less rain, a study suggests.
Emily V. Fischer