October 25, 2022 - Dust and Fire in Kansas and Nebraska

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Intense winds drove plumes of dust across Kansas and Nebraska on
October 23, 2022. On that same day, the Moderate Resolution Imaging
Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board NASA’s Aqua satellite captured a
true-color image that showed thick tan swaths obscuring most of western
Kansas from view while thinner dust extended into southern and western
Nebraska.

Dust storms are not unusual in the region, especially in spring and
fall when gusty winds are common, precipitation scarce, and many
agricultural fields become bare during planting and post-harvest.
Currently, worsening drought has made severe dust storms more likely.
According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, most of Kansas is in “extreme
drought” or “exceptional drought.” According to a story published only
by Kansas Public Radio on October 23, “Kansas farmers say this year’s
drought is among the worst they’ve seen, impacting nearly every crop
and nearly every county in the state.” The story quotes Kansas Farm
Bureau Director Mark Nelson as saying, “It’s been more than 10 years
since we’ve seen conditions like this. But this time, he says, it’s
even more widespread.” Dust storms can remove soil nutrients and
decrease agricultural productivity and the ultra-fine particles are
also a threat to health if inhaled.

Drought and extensive acreage of dried autumn grass and field stubble,
along with high wind, create a tinder-box condition, ripe for
fast-growing wildfires. The Governor of Kansas declared a State of
Disaster Emergency due to the high risk of wildland fires, as Red Flag
warnings and wind advisories were in effect. That placed some
firefighting assets on standby to rapidly respond to fire outbreaks.
Several grassland fires were reported across Kansas on October 23, and
four fires, each marked by a red “hot spot” are visible in the image.
Most fires were quickly extinguished.

Image Facts
Satellite: Aqua
Date Acquired: 10/23/2022
Resolutions: 1km (95.2 KB), 500m (323.4 KB), 250m (1 MB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit: MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC



https://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/individual.php?db_date=2022-10-25

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