As the first wildfire outbreaks of 2018 threaten communities in Oklahoma, Kansas and Texas, weather forecasters double down on tools to help fight fires.
Leveraging high-definition images from GOES-East satellite, NOAA National Weather Service (NWS) forecasters are spotting newly ignited wildfires and sharing critical information with local first responders often before 911 calls come in.
During periods of critical fire weather, forecasters closely monitor the satellite images for flickers of red and black pixels. When they see an area of concern, they can issue a hot spot notification to emergency managers and firefighters that includes GPS coordinates of each fire and a local forecast for the next 48 hours.
Read more at NOAA
Image Credit: NOAA