Images
July 31, 2026 - Oregon Shrouded in Smoke
Tweet
Dry thunderstorms that popped up over the Cascade Range on the evening of July 15, 2026, peppered Oregon and Washington with thousands of lightning strikes as they moved east across the states. By the following day, NASA satellites had begun to detect large numbers of wildland fires burning throughout central and eastern Oregon.
Though initially small, these blazes strengthened as they were fanned by gusty winds and raced through landscapes parched by extreme drought and baking in summer heat. When the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite captured this true-color image on July 28, smoke poured from dozens of large active fires. The fires produced a blanket of haze, prompting state officials to issue air quality advisories for much of eastern Oregon.
On July 29, the Oregon Department of Forestry Situation Report stated that 30 large fires remained active statewide. That was more than one-third of all large fires active in the United States listed on that day (85) by the National Interagency Fire Center. The state with the next highest number of active large fires (12) was neighboring Washington. There have been 1,329 blazes in Oregon in 2026, with a total of 1,786,182 acres affected by fire since January 1.
The Big Grass Fire was one of the two largest fires listed by InciWeb, spreading over 301,572 acres close to Jordan Valley, Oregon as of July 30. It was only 15 percent contained and was near enough to homes that the situation report stated, “the fire has advanced to the point where protection of the wildland-urban interface has become the primary operational focus.” The fire is threatening numerous structures in the town of Jordan Valley.
Rowe Creek Complex Fire had spread to engulf 304,832 acres as of the morning of July 30, according to the situation report published on InciWeb. The fire was listed as 42 percent contained and was located in Fossil, in Wheeler County, Oregon. This is a cluster of wildfires that have merged together, including the Crosswhite, Camel Hump, Red Rock, and Twickenham.
MODIS satellite imagery from the NASA Worldview App showed that smoke from the fires in Oregon and Washington were blown northeastward and eastward, crossing into Canada and stretching at least to the Great Lakes on July 28.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Aqua
Date Acquired: 7/28/2026
Resolutions:
1km (121 KB), 500m (452.3 KB), 250m (1.5 MB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
Dry thunderstorms that popped up over the Cascade Range on the evening of July 15, 2026, peppered Oregon and Washington with thousands of lightning strikes as they moved east across the states. By the following day, NASA satellites had begun to detect large numbers of wildland fires burning throughout central and eastern Oregon.
Though initially small, these blazes strengthened as they were fanned by gusty winds and raced through landscapes parched by extreme drought and baking in summer heat. When the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite captured this true-color image on July 28, smoke poured from dozens of large active fires. The fires produced a blanket of haze, prompting state officials to issue air quality advisories for much of eastern Oregon.
On July 29, the Oregon Department of Forestry Situation Report stated that 30 large fires remained active statewide. That was more than one-third of all large fires active in the United States listed on that day (85) by the National Interagency Fire Center. The state with the next highest number of active large fires (12) was neighboring Washington. There have been 1,329 blazes in Oregon in 2026, with a total of 1,786,182 acres affected by fire since January 1.
The Big Grass Fire was one of the two largest fires listed by InciWeb, spreading over 301,572 acres close to Jordan Valley, Oregon as of July 30. It was only 15 percent contained and was near enough to homes that the situation report stated, “the fire has advanced to the point where protection of the wildland-urban interface has become the primary operational focus.” The fire is threatening numerous structures in the town of Jordan Valley.
Rowe Creek Complex Fire had spread to engulf 304,832 acres as of the morning of July 30, according to the situation report published on InciWeb. The fire was listed as 42 percent contained and was located in Fossil, in Wheeler County, Oregon. This is a cluster of wildfires that have merged together, including the Crosswhite, Camel Hump, Red Rock, and Twickenham.
MODIS satellite imagery from the NASA Worldview App showed that smoke from the fires in Oregon and Washington were blown northeastward and eastward, crossing into Canada and stretching at least to the Great Lakes on July 28.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Aqua
Date Acquired: 7/28/2026
Resolutions:
1km (121 KB), 500m (452.3 KB), 250m (1.5 MB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
