Wildfire Smoke in

Northern California

July 9, 2008

Numerous wildfires in Northern California are generating large amounts of smoke. Many communities are experiencing visibilities less than 1 mile. The visible satellite loop above shows the smoke from the wildfires. The loop begins at 7:30 am on July 9, 2008 and continues until 7:30 pm. Aside from some cumulus clouds that develop over the Sierra Nevada Mountains in the afternoon (lower central part of the image) and some marine clouds off the Oregon coast (upper left part of the image), the remainder of the "clouds" is actually smoke. In the morning, note the dense smoke in the Sacramento Valley. By the afternoon, the fires become much more active.