2020 Fire Season in the Western U.S.

Fire season in the West can stretch from late spring until seasonal winter rains and snow arrive.
New Fires Scorch the Hills of Southern California
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New Fires Scorch the Hills of Southern California

The state’s brutal fire season has not ended.

Published Dec 4, 2020

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East Troublesome Fire Spreads to the Rockies
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East Troublesome Fire Spreads to the Rockies

The blaze grew 140,000 acres in 24 hours to become the second largest fire in Colorado history.

Published Oct 26, 2020

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Record-Setting Fires in Colorado and California
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Record-Setting Fires in Colorado and California

The Cameron Peak and August Complex fires have punctuated a year of natural drama in the American West.

Published Oct 21, 2020

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Assessing California Fire Scars
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Assessing California Fire Scars

Analyzing subtle differences in near-infrared and shortwave-infrared light from the landscape, scientists can provide some measure of the severity of wildfire burns.

Published Oct 14, 2020

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California’s Nightmare Fire Season Continues
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California’s Nightmare Fire Season Continues

Another stretch of intense heat has reinvigorated the state’s brutal 2020 fire season.

Published Oct 2, 2020

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Bobcat Fire Scorches Southern California
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Bobcat Fire Scorches Southern California

The fire is among the largest Los Angeles County has ever faced.

Published Sep 23, 2020

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A Meeting of Smoke and Storms
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A Meeting of Smoke and Storms

Satellites tracked smoke from wildfires as it spanned the continental United States and followed winds around two hurricanes.

Published Sep 17, 2020

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Historic Fires Devastate the U.S. Pacific Coast
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Historic Fires Devastate the U.S. Pacific Coast

Satellite data is helping scientists size up one of the most intense outbreaks of fire and smoke that Oregon and California have seen in decades.

Published Sep 11, 2020

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A Wall of Smoke on the U.S. West Coast
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A Wall of Smoke on the U.S. West Coast

Several intense wildfires continue to rage in Oregon, California, and other states.

Published Sep 10, 2020

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Downslope Winds Fan Western Fires
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Downslope Winds Fan Western Fires

Dozens of extremely intense fires are tearing through Pacific Coast states.

Published Sep 9, 2020

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A Smoky Inferno
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A Smoky Inferno

Intense fires raged in several western states over the Labor Day weekend.

Published Sep 8, 2020

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California Continues to Burn
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California Continues to Burn

By early September 2020, more than a quarter million acres had burned within the August Complex fire in Mendocino National Forest.

Published Sep 3, 2020

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Smoke Blows Over the Pacific
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Smoke Blows Over the Pacific

Winds carried smoke from California wildfires westward over the Pacific Ocean.

Published Sep 3, 2020

Atmosphere Land Water Fires

August Fires Leave Vast Burn Scars in California
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August Fires Leave Vast Burn Scars in California

The LNU and SCU Lightning Complex fires—the second and third largest fires in state history—have burned more than 700,000 acres of land.

Published Aug 27, 2020

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Smoke Continues to Spread Across the U.S. West
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Smoke Continues to Spread Across the U.S. West

Wildfires in California have consumed more than 700,000 acres since August 15, 2020.

Published Aug 21, 2020

Land Fires

Wildfire Smoke Shrouds the U.S. West
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Wildfire Smoke Shrouds the U.S. West

An unusual amount of smoke from wildfires has spread across hundreds of miles.

Published Aug 20, 2020

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Thick Smoke Obscures California Skies
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Thick Smoke Obscures California Skies

Enormous plumes created unhealthy breathing conditions in the San Joaquin Valley and San Francisco Bay area.

Published Aug 19, 2020

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Smoke Blankets Northern California
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Smoke Blankets Northern California

Several wildfires filled the skies with smoky haze.

Published Aug 19, 2020

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Four Fires in Colorado
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Four Fires in Colorado

The fires have burned more than 125,000 acres and are expected to burn for several more weeks.

Published Aug 17, 2020

Atmosphere Land Fires

Smoke from Apple Fire Spreads
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Smoke from Apple Fire Spreads

Wildfire smoke from California traveled hundreds to miles and obscured skies in central Arizona.

Published Aug 3, 2020

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Mineral Fire
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Mineral Fire

A wildfire in Fresno County, California has burned more than 28,000 acres.

Published Jul 20, 2020

Land Fires

Bush Fire Scorches Lands Near Phoenix
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Bush Fire Scorches Lands Near Phoenix

The blaze is the largest in Arizona this year and the largest in the United States right now.

Published Jun 16, 2020

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