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   September 7, 2022 - Western United States Wildfires   
      
      Fires   
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      As northern hemisphere summer draws near its end, the Western United   
      States continues to suffer agonizingly high temperatures and widespread   
      wildfire. While California wins the prize for highest temperatures—the   
      National Weather Service reported that Sacramento hit an all-time high   
      of 116˚F on September 6, 2022—the state of Idaho has the most fire   
      activity.   
      
      According to the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) on September   
      6, there were 27 large fires burning in that state—up by 13 from   
      September 1. And these are just LARGE fires. A glance at the Idaho Fire   
      Map, published by the state government, shows the state dotted with   
      fire from the border with Canada to the town of Pocatello in the   
      south-eastern section of the state. The largest fire in Idaho is the   
      Moose Fire, which has burned 107,523 acres of grass, brush, and timber   
      north of the town of Salmon. This human-caused fire has been burning   
      more than 7 weeks, and has only reached 44 percent containment.   
      
      But ferocious wildfires are hardly contained to Idaho. According to the   
      NIFC, as of September 6, 69 large wildfires and complexes have burned   
      475,766 acres in eight states. More than 13,000 wildland fire personnel   
      are assigned to incidents. In the West, this includes 27 fires in   
      Idaho, 10 in Montana, 9 in Oregon, 7 in California, 7 in Washington, 2   
      in Texas, and 1 in Utah. There are also 2 fires in Florida.   
      
      On September 5, 2022, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer   
      (MODIS) on board NASA’s Aqua satellite acquired a true-color image   
      centered on Idaho. Parts of other states are also visible: Washington   
      and Oregon can be seen west of Idaho, Nevada and Utah to the south, and   
      Montana to the east. Canada sits in the north. Dozens of red “hot   
      spots” can be seen scattered across the scene, especially in Idaho and   
      western Montana. Each red hot spot marks an area where the thermal   
      bands on the instrument detected high temperatures. When combined with   
      typical smoke, as in this image, such hot spots mark actively burning   
      fire. Smoke pours from many of the large fires, especially those   
      burning in the forests of the Bitterroot Mountains, and blows towards   
      the east. The density and length of the plumes suggest very strong   
      winds blowing from the west.   
      
      Dangerous fire weather is expected across most of the Western United   
      States over the next several days. The NIFC advisory states, “Very hot,   
      dry, and unstable conditions will be prevalent across much of the West   
      peaking along thermal trough(s) in California into the Northwest and   
      Great Basin. Widespread temperatures over 100°F are expected, including   
      much of the Central Valley and surrounding foothills above 110°F.   
      Minimum relative humidity will be 3-15% across much of the West and   
      breezy winds are likely to develop in portions of northeast California   
      into southern and central Oregon and in portions of Wyoming. Near   
      record Hot, Dry, Windy Index values are expected across the northern   
      half of California and much of southern and central Oregon as well.   
      Existing and any emerging new fires in these areas will be very active,   
      with increased activity expected on most if not all existing large   
      fires.”   
      
      Image Facts   
      Satellite:  Aqua   
      Date Acquired: 9/5/2022   
      Resolutions:  1km (730.4 KB),  500m (2.5 MB),   
      Bands Used: 1,4,3   
      Image Credit: MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC   
      
      
      
   https://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/individual.php?db_date=2022-09-07   
       
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