NOAASatellites's video: NOAA Satellites Monitor Wildfires across the Southwest and Plains

Fire season in the Southwest and High Plains arrived early this year, fueled by gusty winds, low humidity, and dry conditions. The most recent data from the U.S. Drought Monitor from April 21, 2022, shows that the region, particularly New Mexico, has been affected by significant drought conditions. New Mexico has been dealing with more than 20 blazes, including the Calf Canyon Fire, Cooks Peak Fire, and Mitchell Fire. In Arizona, the Crooks Fire has burned south of Prescott since last Monday, triggering numerous evacuation orders in the area. The fire is burning thick, dry, dead vegetation in very rugged terrain, where erratic winds and fire behavior is making conditions hazardous for firefighters. Imagery from the GOES East satellite showed that the Calf Canyon Fire in New Mexico produced a pyrocumulonimbus cloud (also known as pyroCb) on April 22. This large fire burned hot, which caused air and moisture to rise, along with smoke and ash. When this combination reaches the upper atmosphere, it often cools and condenses to form pyroCb clouds or “fire clouds” over the blaze. Some of the moisture is already present in the atmosphere, while some of it also evaporates from burning plants fueling the fire below. Parts of the High Plains have experienced windy, dry weather as well, which caused dust storms and fast-spreading wildfires. The fast-spreading Road 702 Fire in southwestern Nebraska that claimed the life of a former fire chief started in Kansas and raced northward through several counties. So far, it has consumed roughly 41,450 acres. By Thursday morning, it was 88 percent contained. According to the National Interagency Fire Center, there were 11 large active fires burning across almost 223,800 acres across six states. Since the start of 2022, at least 21,181 wildfires have burned more than a million acres in the United States, well above the 10-year average through April. With so many fires burning well before the normal May or June start of the wildfire season, local officials say there is a much higher risk for the rest of the season. Read more: Credits: NOAA NASA Goddard Space Flight Center CIRA Music: “Fallen Leaves,” by Andrew James Prahlow [BMI]; Volta Music; Universal Production Music