Images
May 2, 2026 - Fires in Central America
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The skies over Central America were streaked with smoke from multiple wildfires in late April 2026. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite acquired this true-color image of the scene on April 30.
Dozens of actively burning fires, each marked in red and most accompanied by smoke, are scattered across Mexico, Belize, and Guatemala. Smoke creates large gray plumes as well as a widespread haze over the entire region.
Most of these fires are likely wildfires, although it’s not possible to determine the cause of a fire simply by viewing it from space. April sits near the end of the hot, dry season in this region—a time when the risk of wildfire is high even under normal circumstances, and a time when setting controlled fires for farming or land management would be unlikely. This year, blistering heat has created extreme wildfire weather in many locations.
According to Meteorologia Yucatan, temperatures in Campeche, Mexico, a region on the Yucatan peninsula and partially captured in this image, temperatures on April 27 ranged between a searing 40-45°C (104-113°F). Such temperatures, combined with lack of rain and low humidity, set the stage for rapid growth of any wildfire that might ignite.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Aqua
Date Acquired: 4/30/2026
Resolutions:
1km (140.5 KB), 500m (461.9 KB), 250m (1.3 MB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
The skies over Central America were streaked with smoke from multiple wildfires in late April 2026. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite acquired this true-color image of the scene on April 30.
Dozens of actively burning fires, each marked in red and most accompanied by smoke, are scattered across Mexico, Belize, and Guatemala. Smoke creates large gray plumes as well as a widespread haze over the entire region.
Most of these fires are likely wildfires, although it’s not possible to determine the cause of a fire simply by viewing it from space. April sits near the end of the hot, dry season in this region—a time when the risk of wildfire is high even under normal circumstances, and a time when setting controlled fires for farming or land management would be unlikely. This year, blistering heat has created extreme wildfire weather in many locations.
According to Meteorologia Yucatan, temperatures in Campeche, Mexico, a region on the Yucatan peninsula and partially captured in this image, temperatures on April 27 ranged between a searing 40-45°C (104-113°F). Such temperatures, combined with lack of rain and low humidity, set the stage for rapid growth of any wildfire that might ignite.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Aqua
Date Acquired: 4/30/2026
Resolutions:
1km (140.5 KB), 500m (461.9 KB), 250m (1.3 MB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
