Western US Wildfires
A hot and dry summer season in the Western US has lead to many fires spawning across multiple states. Hundreds of thousands of acres have been burned as wildfires rage from the Pacific Northwest down to the Desert Southwest.
In New Mexico, several large and long-lived wildfires initiated during the months of May and June, including the Indios Fire, Blue 2 Fire, and the South Fork and Salt Fires. The burn scars left behind pose a flash flooding risk for nearby communities in New Mexico, especially as the Southwest monsoon season ramps up.
In the southern parts of Utah, wildfires like the Silver King Fire and Deer Spring Fire spread very rapidly under dry and windy conditions.
Even though summer is only just reaching the halfway mark, California has seen a pretty active fire season. Numerous hotspots have constantly plagued the Golden State over the last few months, with notable large wildfires like the Post Fire, Corral Fire, and Lake Fire situated not too far away from the state’s most populous cities.
In July, a few fires exploded in size across the state of Oregon, with multiple swelling past 100,000 acres.
Combined with the fires raging in western Canada, smoke from the wildfires has draped across North America, creating hazy skies and air quality issues from hundreds of miles away.
Satellite imagery of this event:
Hover over the boxes to play. Click the images to view enlarged
