Startling images from space show smoke plume and heat from California wildfires
Fast-moving, destructive wildfires raced across parts of Napa and Sonoma County on Sunday night and Monday, fanned by strong winds and dry conditions. The fires exploded in size, with one, known as the Tubbs Fire, jumping from 200 acres on Sunday to 25,000 by Monday.
According to the Associated Press, 1,500 structures have been destroyed by the blazes so far, making them collectively among the most destructive in state history.
The heat and smoke from these fires have been visible from space, as well as aircraft flying in the San Francisco Bay region.
California Governor Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency in Napa, Sonoma, and Yuba Counties, with hundreds of firefighters rapidly deployed from city, state, and federal resources. The wildfires have spread so rapidly due to strong, dry offshore winds gusting up to 55 miles per hour overnight and into Monday morning.
After a record wet winter, dry conditions during the past few months have ensured an abundant supply of dried out vegetation, which is serving as fuel for the flames.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
This satellite loop, also from Colorado State University via NOAA, shows the heat signature of the fires as red dots, plus the smoke plume moving offshore.
Here's the larger, still image version from that loop:
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
Fire danger will remain extremely high for the rest of the day on Monday in this area, though winds are forecast to slacken during the afternoon and evening, which could aid firefighters battling these flames.
Topics Activism
Andrew Freedman is Mashable's Senior Editor for Science and Special Projects. Prior to working at Mashable, Freedman was a Senior Science writer for Climate Central. He has also worked as a reporter for Congressional Quarterly and Greenwire/E&E Daily. His writing has also appeared in the Washington Post, online at The Weather Channel, and washingtonpost.com, where he wrote a weekly climate science column for the "Capital Weather Gang" blog. He has provided commentary on climate science and policy for Sky News, CBC Radio, NPR, Al Jazeera, Sirius XM Radio, PBS NewsHour, and other national and international outlets. He holds a Masters in Climate and Society from Columbia University, and a Masters in Law and Diplomacy from The Fletcher School at Tufts University.
