1-minute Mesoscale Domain Sector GOES-18 (GOES-West) Visible images with an overlay of the Fire Mask derived product (above) showed the thermal signature of the Hawk Fire as it rapidly expanded to the northeast on 22 August 2026. Due to the close proximity of the fire, the Reno/Stead Airport (METAR identifier KRTS) was closed... Read More
10-minute Full Disk scan GOES-18 (GOES-West) GeoColor RGB images with an overlay of Next Generation Fire System (NGFS) Fire Detection polygons (above) showed the thermal signature associated with the Mukluk Fire near Tok, Alaska — which began around 1940 UTC on 17 August 2026. With winds at Tok gusting to 20-30 mph, the fire spread... Read More
1-minute Mesoscale Domain Sector GOES-18 (GOES-West) Visible images with an overlay of the Fire Mask derived product (above) showed the rapid growth of the Wrights Springs Fire in southwestern Oregon on 07 August 2026. Tragically, the rapid growth and erratic wildfire behavior resulted in one firefighter fatality.The rapid wildfire growth was also evident in 1-minute GOES-18... Read More
5-minute CONUS Sector GOES-18 (GOES-West) daytime True Color RGB and Nighttime Microphysics RGB images spanning the 7-day period from 31 July to 06 August 2026 (above) showed numerous dense smoke plumes emanating from active wildfires, along with widespread residual smoke from previous days of wildfire activity across much of the Pacific Northwest. At night, thermal... Read More
