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Since late February 2024, NOAA satellites have been tracking wildfires

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that spread through the Texas panhandle.

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The deadly fires were fueled by dry, windy conditions.

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The largest of the wildfires is the Smokehouse Creek fire,

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burning more than 1,058,000 acres.

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As of March 5, the Smokehouse Creek fire had jumped across

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the state border into Oklahoma.

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GOES East and West saw the fires grow and spread across the

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Southern Plains in near real-time.

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The satellites observed the wildfires merge when a cold front moved

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through the area, making it the largest wildfire on record in Texas.

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GOES East and West help firefighters
 track the movement of the fires and smoke.

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Meanwhile, NOAA’s JPSS satellites captured high resolution images

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of the wildfires using the VIIRS instrument.

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VIIRS can detect smaller, lower temperature fires.

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This can help locate and track fires when they ignite.

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JPSS also provides additional data to forecast the movement of smoke 

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and its impact on weather with NOAA’s HRRR-Smoke model.

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As these wildfires begin to subside, NOAA satellites will be watching

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and providing timely, up to date information to firefighters.

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Earth From Orbit: Fires Rage Across Texas Panhandle

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NASA Meatball

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