Images
August 14, 2025 - Soaring Temperatures and Searing Fires in Portugal and Spain
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As temperatures soared to record and near-record levels, wildfires scorched the ground across several locations in Europe in August 2025. This true-color image of several large wildfires burning in Spain (north) and Portugal (south) was acquired by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite on August 13.
Each red “hot spot” marks an area where the thermal bands on the MODIS instrument detected high temperatures. When accompanied by typical smoke, as in this image, such hot spots are diagnostic for actively burning fire. Clusters of hot spots often represent a large fire with several active fronts, although they could also be individual fires. This image captures at least 11 fires in Spain and 3 large fires in Portugal, with dense, gray smoke covering the landscape between and north of the fires.
According to Severe Weather Europe, air temperatures reached as high as 44°C (111.2°F) in portions of Spain and Albania on August 13 and 43°C (109.4°C) in Portugal. They also reported that at least 52 weather stations in France reported all-time high temperatures on August 13, with more than 175 stations in that country reporting highs of 40°C (104°F) or greater. Alexandre Favaios, the Mayor of Vila Real, the capital and largest city in the North region of Portugal, was quoted by several media outlets as exclaiming, “We are being cooked alive, this cannot continue.” At least one large wildfire is located near that city.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Terra
Date Acquired: 8/13/2025
Resolutions:
1km (76.5 KB), 500m (245 KB), 250m (698.5 KB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
As temperatures soared to record and near-record levels, wildfires scorched the ground across several locations in Europe in August 2025. This true-color image of several large wildfires burning in Spain (north) and Portugal (south) was acquired by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite on August 13.
Each red “hot spot” marks an area where the thermal bands on the MODIS instrument detected high temperatures. When accompanied by typical smoke, as in this image, such hot spots are diagnostic for actively burning fire. Clusters of hot spots often represent a large fire with several active fronts, although they could also be individual fires. This image captures at least 11 fires in Spain and 3 large fires in Portugal, with dense, gray smoke covering the landscape between and north of the fires.
According to Severe Weather Europe, air temperatures reached as high as 44°C (111.2°F) in portions of Spain and Albania on August 13 and 43°C (109.4°C) in Portugal. They also reported that at least 52 weather stations in France reported all-time high temperatures on August 13, with more than 175 stations in that country reporting highs of 40°C (104°F) or greater. Alexandre Favaios, the Mayor of Vila Real, the capital and largest city in the North region of Portugal, was quoted by several media outlets as exclaiming, “We are being cooked alive, this cannot continue.” At least one large wildfire is located near that city.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Terra
Date Acquired: 8/13/2025
Resolutions:
1km (76.5 KB), 500m (245 KB), 250m (698.5 KB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
