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Fast-moving wildfires in Washington State

By Scott Bachmeier •

GOES-17 “Red” Visible (0.64 µm, top left), Shortwave Infrared (3.9 µm, top right), Fire Temperature RGB + GLM Flash Extent Density (bottom left) and “Clean” Infrared Window (10.35 µm, bottom right) [click to play animation | MP4]

GOES-17 “Red” Visible (0.64 µm, top left), Shortwave Infrared (3.9 µm, top right), Fire Temperature RGB + GLM Flash Extent Density (bottom left) and “Clean” Infrared Window (10.35 µm, bottom right) [click to play animation | MP4]

1-minute Mesoscale Domain Sector GOES-17 (GOES-West) “Red” Visible (0.64 µm), Shortwave Infrared (3.9 µm), Fire Temperature Red-Green-Blue (RGB) + GLM Flash Extent Density (FED) and “Clean” Infrared Window (10.35 µm) images (above) showed the smoke plume and thermal signature of the Pearl Hill Fire — which made a rapid ~50-mile run south-southwestward across northern Washington State on 07 September 2020. During this time, northwesterly winds gusted to 40 knots (46 mph) at Omak (KOMK) near the source of the fire. Downwind of the fire, smoke reduced the visibility to 1.5 miles at times in Wenatchee (KEAT).

Later in the day, smaller fires which started burning farther to the east exhibited similar (albeit much shorter-distance) southwestward runs.

Categories: Air quality, Fire detection, GOES-17