NASA: Smoky Fires Rage in the Northwest The scorching weather of summer 2022 has left much of the Northwestern United States primed to burn with wildland fires. In early September, the northern Rocky Mountains and the Cascade Range billowed with smoke that was slowly wafting across the continental U.S. and southern Canada. Related: [VIDEO] Big Bear Ski Area, CA, Employees Fire Up Snowguns to Slow Encroaching Wildfire […] Fire Firebrains | September 12, 2022 1 Comment
Forest Fires and Extreme Heat Are Wreaking Havoc in Europe A heatwave in Europe is causing widespread forest fires. Portugal, Spain, France, Greece, and Morocco are the countries most affected, but many parts of the eurozone are dealing with extreme conditions. Temperatures have reached 116°F in Portugal and 113°F in Spain. These temperatures have triggered wildfires that have forced thousands of people to evacuate. To make matters worse, the temperatures […] Fire Brent Thomas | July 19, 2022 1 Comment
Record-Breaking Wildfires Have Burned Over 2 Million Acres in Alaska, Covering Half the State in Smoke Summertime in Alaska is supposed to be magical (except for the mosquitos). Endless daylight and copious amounts of outdoor activities means recreational opportunities are prime before the harsh, dark, cold winter comes. However, this summer has been plagued by wildfires. There are still several months left in wildfire season, but Alaska has already surpassed 2 million acres burned this season. […] Fire Brent Thomas | July 7, 2022 0 Comments
NASA: California, A Multi-Dimensional Fire Challenge This is the second part of a story about fires in California. Read part 1 here. Climate change has helped fuel California’s surge of unusually large and destructive fires by exacerbating heat waves and droughts, but climate is not the only factor contributing to the surge. More than a century of fire suppression has caused excessive amounts of dead trees, […] Fire Firebrains | October 7, 2021 2 Comments
NASA: What’s Behind California’s Surge of Large Fires? If it seems like enormous wildfires have been constantly raging in California in recent summers, it’s because they have. Eight of the state’s ten largest fires on record—and twelve of the top twenty—have happened within the past five years, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire). Together, those twelve fires have burned about 4 percent […] Fire Firebrains | October 5, 2021 4 Comments
Satellite Images of Wildfire Smoke in Northern California: 2020 vs. 2021 Here’s a snapshot of how this wildfire season in Northern California is going compared to last year’s. On August 3 last year, Northern California enjoyed relatively smoke-free skies. But on August 3 this year, plenty of smoke from area wildfires was seen on visible satellite imagery. Check out the latest air quality & smoke coverage at fire.airnow.gov Related: NASA Images: […] Fire Firebrains | August 5, 2021 0 Comments
Smoke Can Be Seen From Space From 220+ Wildfires Burning Across the PNW The extraordinary heatwave that scorched the Pacific Northwest in June 2021 has diminished, but substantial fires continued to burn across the region in July. Exacerbated by extreme heat and wind, more than 40 fires started burning across British Columbia in late June. By July 8, that number climbed to more than 200 active fires across the Canadian province, of which […] Fire Firebrains | July 12, 2021 0 Comments
Western United States on Brink of First Ever Water Shortage Declaration Water levels in the western United States are nearing historically low levels. Despite snowstorms in parts of the West, we haven’t seen enough precipitation to replenish water sources. Many man-made lakes have seen their water levels fall, diminishing reserves that supply millions of people. Projections show that levels could drop even more, which may prompt the federal government to declare […] Brains Alex Mangels | April 23, 2021 1 Comment
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