October 8, 2022 - Fog and Fire in Oregon

Oregon Fires
Tweet
Share

On October 6, 2022, a bank of bright white fog hung over the Willamette
Valley and the West Slope of Oregon’s Cascades Mountains while gray
smoke poured from several fires burning on the drier eastern side of
the ridgeline. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer
(MODIS) on board NASA’s Terra satellite acquired a true-color image of
the region on that same day.

Fog frequently forms over the Willamette Valley and the West Slopes,
thanks to the proximity to bountiful quantities of moist air that blows
in from over the Pacific Ocean. The tall peaks of the Cascades form a
barrier to moisture, effectively keeping moisture from reaching the
eastern side. This area, called a “rain shadow”, is a perfect spot for
wildfires to spark, especially in hot weather that dries out
vegetation.

The largest fire visible is the Cedar Creek Fire. This fire is burning
on several fronts, as can be seen by the red “hot spots” seen in the
image. Cedar Creek Fire sparked to life on August 1 due to a lightning
strike. As of October 7, it had expanded to cover 121, 249 acres and is
burning in very difficult and steep territory. Because of the high-risk
location, firefighting has primarily been indirect, building fire lines
near roads and trails where the fire can be contained when it reaches
those lines. It has reached 38 percent containment.

Image Facts
Satellite: Terra
Date Acquired: 10/6/2022
Resolutions: 1km (34.3 KB), 500m (122.8 KB), 250m (409.2
KB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit: MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC



https://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/individual.php?db_date=2022-10-08

--- up 31 weeks, 5 days, 20 minutes
* Origin: -=> Castle Rock BBS <=- Now Husky HPT Powered! (1:317/3)