![GOES-16 Shortwave Infrared images, with hourly surface wind barbs (cyan) and gusts (in knots, red); Interstate 90 is plotted in red [click to play animation | MP4]](https://cimss.ssec.wisc.edu/satellite-blog/images/2021/03/G16_SWIR_WINDS_SD_FIRES_29MAR2020_B7_2021088_180054_GOES-16_0001PANEL_FRAME0000179.GIF)
GOES-16 Shortwave Infrared (3.9 µm) images, with hourly surface wind barbs (cyan) and gusts (in knots, red); Interstate 90 is plotted in red [click to play animation | MP4]
1-minute
Mesoscale Domain Sector GOES-16
(GOES-East) Shortwave Infrared (
3.9 µm) images
(above) displayed the thermal anomalies
(clusters of hot pixels) associated with 2 wildfires burning in western South Dakota on
29 March 2021. One fire began just west of Rapid City around 1530 UTC — which forced some evacuations. A second fire began just north of Interstate 90 around 1730 UTC — which forced the closure of Interstate 90 between Kadoka and Murdo as strong northwesterly winds in the wake of a cold frontal passage (
surface analyses) caused a rapid fire run to the southeast. The southern surge of cold air
(lighter shades of gray) behind the cold front could also be seen in the Shortwave Infrared images; both fires began shortly before the arrival of the cold front.
Taking a closer look at the fire just west of Rapid City, a 4-panel comparison of GOES-16 Fire Temperature RGB, Shortwave Infrared, Fire Power and Fire Temperature Characterization products (below) showed that this was not a particularly large or hot fire, whose signature was sometimes obscured by clouds moving overhead.
![GOES-16 Fire Temperature RGB (top left), Shortwave Infrared (top right), Fire Power (bottom left) and Fire Temperature (bottom right) [click to play animation | MP4]](https://cimss.ssec.wisc.edu/satellite-blog/images/2021/03/rap_4p-20210329_162754.png)
GOES-16 Fire Temperature RGB (top left), Shortwave Infrared (3.9 µm, top right), Fire Power (bottom left) and Fire Temperature (bottom right) [click to play animation | MP4]
===== 30 March Update =====

GOES-16 “Red” Visible (0.64 µm), Near-Infrared “Vegetation” (0.86 µm) and Day Land Cloud Fire RGB images [click to play animation | MP4]
On the following day, GOES-16 “Red” Visible (
0.64 µm), Near-Infrared “Vegetation” (
0.86 µm) and
Day Land Cloud Fire RGB images
(above) revealed the northwest-to-southeast oriented burn scar
(darker gray pixels).