NOAA Satellites Monitor Raging Wildfires in California | NESDIS | National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service
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NOAA Satellites Monitor Raging Wildfires in California
January 21, 2025
This week, critical fire weather conditions persisted across coastal Southern California, driven by moderate to locally strong winds
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The information on the video was current as of January, 17th.
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As multiple wildfires began erupting across southern California on Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025, devastating the Los Angeles area and prompting mass evacuations, NOAA satellites were essential for monitoring the blazes. These satellites provided critical data on the challenging fire conditions that supported on-the-ground assessments and management efforts.
In an
interview
with LiveNOW from Fox on Jan. 11, lead meteorologist Todd Hall from the National Weather Service, Los Angeles, identified three key factors fueling the fires: strong winds, dry conditions with low humidity, as well as dry vegetation.
Five days before the first fire ignited, the National Weather Service (NWS) began warning of
strong Santa Ana Winds
and extreme fire conditions. Alerts escalated from a
Fire Weather Watch
to a
red flag warning
for Los Angeles and Ventura counties based on
conditions highly conducive
for wildfire growth, with forecasts of a “
life-threatening, destructive
” windstorm by Monday, Jan. 6. Later that day, NWS upgraded the warning to a “
particularly dangerous situation
.”
The
Palisades Fire
was the first to ignite on the morning of Jan. 7 and spread rapidly. By noon,
Los Angeles issued an evacuation order
. Mayor Karen Bass
urged evacuations
and later that day, Governor Gavin Newsom declared a
state of emergency
. The
Eaton Fire
broke out shortly afterward, expanding to over 200 acres within an hour.
Santa Monica issued an evacuation order
that evening as the Palisades Fire reached nearly 3,000 acres. By 10:30 p.m., the
Hurst Fire
had broken out in Sylmar,
triggering more evacuations
, and the National Weather Service even reported a 99-mph gust near Altadena.
Other fires that erupted in the area by the end of the week were the
Lidia Fire
, the
Kenneth Fire
, and the
Sunset Fire
This week, critical fire weather conditions persisted across coastal Southern California, driven by moderate to locally strong winds.
Particularly Dangerous Situation
Red Flag Warnings
remained in effect through Jan 15.
NWS Los Angeles
explained that they are expecting a much-needed break from the fire weather concerns to close this week, but next week is a concern and dangerous fire weather conditions are expected.
As of January 21, 2025, California is battling four active wildfires, with a total of approximately 37,794 acres burned across the state. The most significant fires include the
Palisades Fire
, (23,713 acres), the
Eaton Fire
, (14,021 acres),
Lilac, and Pala
Fires (30 acres each). Efforts are ongoing to contain these blazes, with red flag warnings affecting millions of residents due to strong winds and high fire danger. The Palisades and Eaton fires are now considered to be among the
most destructive in California
, since records began in 1932.
Thus far, approximately
88,000 people
from highly populated neighborhoods including Pacific Palisades, Altadena, and others remained under evacuation orders as of Jan. 15. More than 12,000 structures have also been destroyed, and
at least 25
people have lost their lives due these fires.
NOAA Satellites at the Frontlines of Wildfire Detection and Management
NOAA satellites are essential for wildfire monitoring and management, delivering critical information to support firefighting efforts and safeguard public safety. They detect heat signatures, map fire perimeters and burned areas, and track smoke and pollutants to assess air quality and health impacts. These advanced capabilities enable firefighting agencies to make informed decisions, allocate resources effectively, and predict fire behavior using advanced models.
NOAA operates two key satellite systems: geostationary and polar-orbiting.
The Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites
(GOES)–R Series
, equipped with the
Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI)
, delivers near real-time, high-resolution images that help forecasters locate hotspots, determine a fire’s size and temperature, detect changes in a fire’s behavior, and monitor smoke and air quality. The satellites frequently detect fires before they are spotted on the ground and reported to 911. The ability to monitor smoke plumes in near real-time is particularly useful for directing firefighting efforts from the air. Precise information about the location and motion of smoke guides decisions for deploying firefighting flights. NOAA’s GOES West satellite, which keeps watch over the Western United States, has been providing forecasters with one–minute data of the fires so they can track conditions in real-time and help inform decisions on the ground.
Polar-orbiting satellites, such as those in the
Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS)
, feature the
Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS)
, which offers detailed, continuous global fire monitoring. VIIRS excels in detecting smaller, lower-temperature fires with its 375-meter spatial resolution and Day-Night Band, which captures low-intensity visible light for enhanced nighttime fire detection. VIIRS also contributes to the
HRRR-smoke model
, which forecasts wildfire smoke movement up to 24 hours in advance.
Additionally, the
Hazard Mapping System (HMS)
integrates satellite data into a publicly accessible platform that provides daily updates on fire locations and conditions. NOAA collaborates with partners like NASA and the U.S. Forest Service to enhance fire monitoring and share critical information.
In an era of increasingly severe wildfires,
NOAA satellites provide indispensable tools
for protecting communities and managing natural disasters. Their data offers insights into fire dynamics, including location, duration, size, temperature, and power, as well as smoke dispersion, improving air quality forecasts and aiding firefighting efforts.
Timely satellite imagery is critical, life-saving information in a dynamic fire environment.
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