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May 16, 2019 - Fires in Mexico
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Fires have raged for many weeks in central Mexico, creating so much smoke and haze that on May 11, 2019, authorities declared emergencies in 11 municipalities in the state of Oaxaca. By May 14, Mexico City authorities declared an environmental emergency in the city as smoke caused air pollution to reach levels well above what the World Health Organization (WHO) considers safe. WHO recognizes particulate matter (PM2.5) levels of below 25 micrograms per cubic meter of air as safe. The measuring station in Nezahualcoyotl (a city near the northeast corner of Mexico City) recorded PM2.5 levels of 158 micrograms per cubic meter at 5 a.m. on May 14.
Hot, dry temperatures have fueled more than 23 active forest fires in the state of Guerrero (south of Mexico City) alone. The fires have been difficult to control because of strong winds.
March to May is the height of fire season in many parts of the Mexico. Fires have been burning this week in Oaxaca, where more than 7,000 hectares (17,000 acres) of land have been consumed by fires this year.
The Comisión Nacional Forestal has recorded nearly 4,000 fires across Mexico this year, according to a news report on May 7. Another news report on May 14 stated the Comisión said that more than 100,000 acres had been burned across Mexico as of the end of March. Many regions of Mexico may soon get some relief as the rainy season begins in late May or June.
The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board NASA’s Aqua satellite acquired a true-color image of the vast smoke across Mexico on May 12, 2019.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Aqua
Date Acquired: 5/12/2019
Resolutions:
1km (759.8 KB), 500m (457.1 KB), 250m (323.2 KB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
Fires have raged for many weeks in central Mexico, creating so much smoke and haze that on May 11, 2019, authorities declared emergencies in 11 municipalities in the state of Oaxaca. By May 14, Mexico City authorities declared an environmental emergency in the city as smoke caused air pollution to reach levels well above what the World Health Organization (WHO) considers safe. WHO recognizes particulate matter (PM2.5) levels of below 25 micrograms per cubic meter of air as safe. The measuring station in Nezahualcoyotl (a city near the northeast corner of Mexico City) recorded PM2.5 levels of 158 micrograms per cubic meter at 5 a.m. on May 14.
Hot, dry temperatures have fueled more than 23 active forest fires in the state of Guerrero (south of Mexico City) alone. The fires have been difficult to control because of strong winds.
March to May is the height of fire season in many parts of the Mexico. Fires have been burning this week in Oaxaca, where more than 7,000 hectares (17,000 acres) of land have been consumed by fires this year.
The Comisión Nacional Forestal has recorded nearly 4,000 fires across Mexico this year, according to a news report on May 7. Another news report on May 14 stated the Comisión said that more than 100,000 acres had been burned across Mexico as of the end of March. Many regions of Mexico may soon get some relief as the rainy season begins in late May or June.
The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board NASA’s Aqua satellite acquired a true-color image of the vast smoke across Mexico on May 12, 2019.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Aqua
Date Acquired: 5/12/2019
Resolutions:
1km (759.8 KB), 500m (457.1 KB), 250m (323.2 KB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
