National Weather Service United States Department of Commerce

Fire Weather Concerns; Record Warmth Spreads

The Plains to the mid-Mississippi Valley continue with warm and dry conditions. Any fires that initiate could spread quickly. The warm temperatures will expand across the Southern Plains into the Southwest where numerous records are expected through the weekend. Meanwhile, a cold front will move southward across the northern Plains and Great Lakes region where some snow will develop this weekend. Read More >

This satellite image was taken at 500 pm PDT on 13 Aug 2003. The image clearly shows smoke plumes from several wild fires in British Columbia, western Montana, and one in northwest Washington near Northport. If you look closely, in addition to the large smoke plumes in BC, you'll see several small plumes as well.

Satellite image of wildfires