A brief pyrocb event was seen on GOES-15 imagery on August 12, 2013. A two-panel comparison of GOES-15 visible and shortwave IR images (above; click image to play animation) showed numerous hot spots (red enhancement on shortwave IR) at latitude/longitude of 43.8 degrees North and 114.5 degrees West. On the visible images, there was also […]

A cluster of 4 major fire complexes (Pony, Elk, McCan, and Beaver Creek) east of Boise in southern Idaho began to exhibit extreme fire behavior on during the afternoon and evening hours on 10 August 2013. A comparison of GOES-15 (GOES-West) and GOES-13 (GOES-East) 1-km resolution 0.63 µm visible channel and 4-km resolution 3.9 µm […]

The Carpenter 1 Fire (InciWeb) was started by lightning in the Spring Mountains west of Las Vegas, Nevada on 01 July 2013. Three days later, on 04 July 2013, a comparison of GOES-15 (GOES-West) 0.63 µm visible channel and 3.9 µm shortwave IR images (above; click to play animation) showed the development of a large […]

The Yarnell Hill Fire (InciWeb) was a relatively small wildfire that was started by lightning from a dry thunderstorm southwest of Prescott, Arizona on 28 June 2013. However, fire conditions became more favorable for rapid growth on 30 June, as surface air  temperatures rose above 100 F across the area with low relative humidity values. […]

McIDAS images of 1-km resolution GOES-15 (GOES-West) and GOES-13 (GOES-East) 0.63 µm visible channel data (above; click image to play animation) showed a pyrocumulonimbus (pyroCb) cloud from the West Fork fire complex rapidly penetrating the tops of surrounding orographically-induced cumulonimbus (Cb) clouds, beginning around 20:10 UTC or 2:10 PM local time on 28 June 2013. […]