GOES-16 “Red” Visible (0.64 µm, top), Shortwave Infrared (3.9 µm, middle) and “Clean” Infrared Window (10.35 µm, bottom) images [click to play animation | MP4]
A 1.5-day animation of GOES-16 Shortwave Infrared images (from 12 UTC on 17 August to 2350 UTC on 18 August) revealed the rapid southeastward run of the fire to the Bolivia/Paraguay border on 17 August, followed by the eastward expansion of the fire line on 18 August (below).
![GOES-16 Shortwave Infrared (3.9 µm) images [click to play animation | MP4]](https://cimss.ssec.wisc.edu/goes/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/190817_190818_goes16_shortwaveInfrared_Bolivia_anim.gif)
GOES-16 Shortwave Infrared (3.9 µm) images [click to play animation | MP4]
A toggle between Suomi NPP VIIRS True Color Red-Green-Blue (RGB) and Infrared Window (11.45 µm) images as viewed using RealEarth (below) showed the large and dense smoke plume streaming southeastward, with the small pyroCb along the Bolivia/Paraguay border at 1745 UTC — the brighter white tops of the pyrocumulus and pyrocumulonimbus clouds reached higher altitudes than the tan-colored smoke plume. The coldest cloud-top infrared brightness temperature was about -55ºC (orange enhancement), which corresponded to an altitude around 9 km according to rawinsonde data from Corumbá, Bolivia.
![Suomi NPP VIIRS True Color Red-Green-Blue (RGB) and Infrared Window (11.45 µm) images [click to enlarge]](https://cimss.ssec.wisc.edu/goes/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/190818_17utc_suomiNPP_viirs_trueColor_infraredWindow_Bolivia_pyrocb_anim.gif)
Suomi NPP VIIRS True Color Red-Green-Blue (RGB) and Infrared Window (11.45 µm) images [click to enlarge]
Looking more closely at yesterday's smoke over South America, the aerosol index from #NOAA20 #OMPS was in double digits! Values on the right refer to the UTC of the measurements. pic.twitter.com/3XBqoEVs4M
— Colin Seftor (@colin_seftor) August 19, 2019
Strong northerly to northwesterly surface winds were blowing across the region, in advance of an approaching cold front (surface analyses) — at Robore, Bolivia (located just north-northwest of the fires), winds were gusting to 25-28 knots during much of the day (below).
![Time series of surface report data from Robore, Bolivia [click to enlarge]](https://cimss.ssec.wisc.edu/goes/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/190818_SLRB_SFCMG.GIF)
Time series of surface report data from Robore, Bolivia [click to enlarge]