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September 4, 2020 - West Coast Fires
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Fire season in the West can stretch from late spring until seasonal winter rains and snow arrive in the autumn. Hot, dry weather combined with high numbers of lightning strikes sparked hundreds of fires in California since mid-August 2020.
The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board NASA’s Terra satellite acquired a true-color image of the intensely smoky scene on September 2.
The large cluster of red hot spots mark actively burning fires, most of which are part of the August Complex, a group of 37 fires that were ignited by lightning on August 17. With some fires contained and a few new ones added, the August Complex has consumed 287,106 acres by September 3 and is 23 percent contained. Ash-brown smoke pours from the complex and has been blown hundreds of miles over the Pacific Ocean and appears to be higher than the marine stratocumulus cloud layer.
According to Cal Fire, on September 3 over 12,800 firefighters were working to contain 22 major fires and lightning complexes in the state. With more than 12,400 people evacuated across the state, fire fighters are watching the weather. Extreme heat and gusty winds bring a Fire Weather Watch for the weekend (September 3 – 6) for parts of the state.
Cal Fire reports that since the lightning siege that started on Saturday, August 15, 2020, there have been nearly 14,000 lightning strikes. During this time period, there have been more than 900 new wildfires, which have now burned over 1.5 million acres. There have 8 fatalities and over 3,200 structures destroyed.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Terra
Date Acquired: 9/2/2020
Resolutions:
1km (416.2 KB), 500m (1.4 MB), 250m (4.8 MB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
Fire season in the West can stretch from late spring until seasonal winter rains and snow arrive in the autumn. Hot, dry weather combined with high numbers of lightning strikes sparked hundreds of fires in California since mid-August 2020.
The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board NASA’s Terra satellite acquired a true-color image of the intensely smoky scene on September 2. The large cluster of red hot spots mark actively burning fires, most of which are part of the August Complex, a group of 37 fires that were ignited by lightning on August 17. With some fires contained and a few new ones added, the August Complex has consumed 287,106 acres by September 3 and is 23 percent contained. Ash-brown smoke pours from the complex and has been blown hundreds of miles over the Pacific Ocean and appears to be higher than the marine stratocumulus cloud layer.
According to Cal Fire, on September 3 over 12,800 firefighters were working to contain 22 major fires and lightning complexes in the state. With more than 12,400 people evacuated across the state, fire fighters are watching the weather. Extreme heat and gusty winds bring a Fire Weather Watch for the weekend (September 3 – 6) for parts of the state.
Cal Fire reports that since the lightning siege that started on Saturday, August 15, 2020, there have been nearly 14,000 lightning strikes. During this time period, there have been more than 900 new wildfires, which have now burned over 1.5 million acres. There have 8 fatalities and over 3,200 structures destroyed.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Terra
Date Acquired: 9/2/2020
Resolutions:
1km (416.2 KB), 500m (1.4 MB), 250m (4.8 MB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
