Dry and Unusually Warm Temperatures Extend Wildfire Season in Oregon and Washington

In Oregon and Washington, wildfire season usually begins to taper off with the start of fall. This year, however, dry and unusually warm temperatures have played a role in stimulating late-season fires.

The wildfires can be clearly seen from space, as the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite has been capturing the natural-color images (see original source) of smoke plumes stretching across hundreds of miles in both states.