The Biobío and Araucanía regions have actually been the hardest hit by fires in regards to affected location, where jointly more than 200,000 hectares have burned. According to Chiles National Forestry Corporation, the nations overall scorched area so far this summer– 294,000 hectares since February 7– is 7 times more than the five-year average. The worst fire on record (which goes back to 1985) was in 2017, when 570,000 hectares burned.
Air temperature levels in Chiles hard hit areas have gone beyond 104 degrees Fahrenheit (40 ° Celsius). On the other hand, warm easterly winds blown from Argentina down the slopes of the Andes, likewise referred to as “Puelche winds,” contributed to the quick spread of the fires.
Chile is in the midst of a drought, which has actually lowered reservoirs and caused stress over water. According to the World Meteorological Organization, the 13-year megadrought in central Chile is the longest in a minimum of 1,000 years.
NASA Earth Observatory images by Lauren Dauphin and Allison Nussbaum, using Landsat information from the U.S. Geological Survey and MODIS data from NASA EOSDIS LANCE and GIBS/Worldview. Story by Emily Cassidy with input from René Garreaud, University of Chile.
A more detailed view of the fires near Santa Juana can be seen in this false-color image obtained on the very same day by the Operational Land Imager (OLI) on Landsat 8. The Biobío and Araucanía regions have been the hardest struck by fires in terms of afflicted location, where jointly more than 200,000 hectares have actually burned. The worst fire on record (which goes back to 1985) was in 2017, when 570,000 hectares burned.
NASAs Aqua satellite acquired this picture of the fires on February 3, 2023, using its Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instrument.
Hot, dry winds fanned the flames of extensive fires in Chile.
Stoked by a summer heat wave and strong winds, widespread fires have actually been raving through south-central Chile given that February 2, 2023. Over the course of several days, the deadly fires have damaged more than 1,000 homes and have spread out throughout more than 294,000 hectares (1,100 square miles).
President Gabriel Boric provided emergency statements for the areas of Biobío and neighboring Ñuble on February 3, the same day that the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASAs Aqua satellite obtained this image (above) of the fires. Smoke from the fires can be seen billowing from Santa Juana, south of Concepción, out to the Pacific Ocean.
This false-color image obtained by Landsat 8s Operational Land Imager (OLI) on February 3, 2023, offers a more comprehensive view of the fires near Santa Juana.
A more comprehensive view of the fires near Santa Juana can be seen in this false-color image gotten on the exact same day by the Operational Land Imager (OLI) on Landsat 8. This false-color image combines shortwave infrared, near-infrared, and visible light (OLI bands 6-5-3) to make it simpler to recognize the unburned vegetated areas (green) and the recently burned landscapes (brown). Active fires are displayed in red.