2018 Fire Season in the Western United States

Fire season in the Western United States stretches from late spring until the winter rains arrive at the end of the calendar year. Climate change has made the past few years warmer and drier, intensifying some natural fire cycles.
Fire Led to Spike in Coastal Bacteria, Murky Waters
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Fire Led to Spike in Coastal Bacteria, Murky Waters

Scientists found water quality was degraded for months following a Southern California wildfire.

Published Mar 3, 2022

Image of the Day Fires Remote Sensing

Camp Fire Adds Another Scar to 2018 Fire Season
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Camp Fire Adds Another Scar to 2018 Fire Season

Record-setting fire activity in 2018 fits with a longer trend of larger and more frequent California fires since 2000.

Published Nov 27, 2018

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Woolsey Fire Burn Scar
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Woolsey Fire Burn Scar

As the destructive California fire nears full containment, it has left behind an expanse of charred land.

Published Nov 19, 2018

Heat Land Fires Human Presence

Looking to RECOVER After the Fire
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Looking to RECOVER After the Fire

A NASA project is providing maps of satellite data to emergency response teams during the Woolsey Fire.

Published Nov 16, 2018

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Camp Fire Spreads Foul Air in California
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Camp Fire Spreads Foul Air in California

People in Northern California and the Central Valley are coughing because of the noxious smoke.

Published Nov 16, 2018

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Smoke from Camp Fire Billows Across California
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Smoke from Camp Fire Billows Across California

In many areas, air quality deteriorated as smoke from the destructive fire spread widely across northern California.

Published Nov 14, 2018

Atmosphere Fires

Camp Fire Still Raging in California
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Camp Fire Still Raging in California

The fire has become the deadliest in state history.

Published Nov 13, 2018

Heat Fires

Camp Fire Rages in California
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Camp Fire Rages in California

Multiple fast-moving fires are producing huge plumes of smoke and threatening several communities.

Published Nov 9, 2018

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Which Way Will the Smoke Go?
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Which Way Will the Smoke Go?

A new experimental model that relies on data from NOAA and NASA satellites has proven remarkably good at simulating the behavior of wildfire smoke.

Published Nov 6, 2018

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Fires ablaze in northeastern Utah
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Fires ablaze in northeastern Utah

Two lightning-caused fires have burned over 100,000 acres and are still yet to be fully contained.

Published Sep 21, 2018

Atmosphere Land Fires Human Presence

Yet Another Fire in Northern California
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Yet Another Fire in Northern California

The fast-moving Delta Fire is one of several that have cast a pall of smoke over the region this summer.

Published Sep 7, 2018

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The Scars of Mendocino
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The Scars of Mendocino

Scarring of the landscape is evident in the wake of the largest wildfire in California history.

Published Aug 30, 2018

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Smoky Skies in North America
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Smoky Skies in North America

Winds carried thick plumes of smoke and pollution across the United States and Canada.

Published Aug 16, 2018

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Smoky Oregon
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Smoky Oregon

Several large wildfires are blanketing the state with smoke.

Published Aug 15, 2018

Atmosphere Land Fires Human Presence Remote Sensing

The Northwest is Running Hot and Dry
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The Northwest is Running Hot and Dry

In August 2018, temperature records fell in the northwestern United States.

Published Aug 15, 2018

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Smoke Plumes Tower Over California
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Smoke Plumes Tower Over California

Several fires are spreading noxious gases and particles across the state—and to a lesser degree much of the country.

Published Aug 9, 2018

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Carr Fire and Mendocino Complex
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Carr Fire and Mendocino Complex

Almost a quarter of a million acres of land and more than a thousand homes have been consumed by three wildfires in Northern California.

Published Aug 4, 2018

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Wildfires Blanket Western States With Smoke
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Wildfires Blanket Western States With Smoke

California’s Carr Fire was one of 98 large, active fires delivering smoke across the United States in late July.

Published Jul 31, 2018

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The Perry Fire by Day and Night
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The Perry Fire by Day and Night

The fire was not the largest or most destructive in July 2018, but the position of its smoke allowed for a clear look at the progression of the burn.

Published Jul 30, 2018

Land Fires Human Presence Remote Sensing

County Fire Lights Up the Night
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County Fire Lights Up the Night

As smoke streamed toward San Francisco, more than 1,000 fire personnel were at the scene fighting the blaze.

Published Jul 4, 2018

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Pawnee Fire, Northern California
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Pawnee Fire, Northern California

Temperature, humidity, and winds contributed to the rapid spread of fire in Lake County, about 100 miles northwest of Sacramento.

Published Jun 27, 2018

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