"What is the one type of weather event that you would be most frightened to experience firsthand?" — Tammy

Admittedly influenced by the events of this week, I would be most frightened to experience a wildfire firsthand. While I know this isn’t purely a weather event, it is certainly weather-adjacent.

Seeing all the footage from the wildfires in the Northwest has been haunting. The eerie orange skies, racing flames and total destruction left behind.

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The thing that scares me the most about wildfires is their unpredictability — and weather plays a huge part in that.

One factor is that wildfires can actually be started by lightning. While forecasters can tell you where the conditions are conducive for fires starting in this manner, it's impossible to pin down exactly if, or where, this will happen.

And once a fire does start, the winds can change the situation from under control to chaos in a matter of minutes. Strong winds are one of the biggest instigators of fire spread and quick changes in direction can drastically alter what areas are impacted.

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The unpredictable behavior of fires can catch even the most experienced firefighter or forecaster off guard, which is what is scary to me.

Also, if that wasn’t enough, once fires get big enough, they can actually create their own weather. Terrifying, right?

In honor of my younger self, I will also add that tornadoes would probably be near the top of my list of weather events I would be frightened to experience firsthand.

My fear of severe weather and tornadoes growing up in the South is actually part of my meteorologist origin story, so that will always be a type of weather that leaves me feeling more uneasy. 

Caitlin Kaiser graduated from the Georgia Institute of Technology with both an undergraduate and graduate degree in Earth and Atmospheric Sciences before starting her career as a digital meteorologist with weather.com.