May 12, 2022 - New Mexico's Record-setting Fire Season Continues
New Mexico
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A blistering fire season in New Mexico continued to blaze on May 10,
2022, as the second-largest fire in the state’s history filled the sky
with thick gray smoke. On that same day, the Moderate Resolution
Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board NASA’s Aqua satellite
acquired a true-color image that showed a massive smoke plume rising
primarily from the Calf Canyon and Hermits Creek Fire complex and
blowing towards the northeast. The plume, which was so thick it
obscured the land beneath, stretched as much as 28 miles (44.4 km) wide
and spanned at least 210 miles (338 km) from the Sangre de Christo
mountains east of Santa Fe, New Mexico to north of the town of La
Junta, Colorado. A thinner veil of smoke, not visible in this image,
also covered parts of Kansas and Nebraska.
Many red “hot spots” mark areas where the thermal bands on the MODIS
instrument detected high temperatures. When combined with typical smoke
(as in this image) such hot spots mark actively burning fire.
Two small clusters of hot spots in the west, which are producing little
smoke, belong to the Cerro Pelado fire, which has consumed 43,376 acres
since it ignited on April 22 near Jemez Springs. As of May 15, it was
only 11 percent contained and had been under a Red Flag Warning for
five days in a row. Gusty south-southwest winds combined with low
relative humidity continue to lead to critical fire weather conditions
as more than 1,000 personnel fight this blaze.
To the east of that blaze, dozens of hot spots mark the multiple
actively burning edges of the expansive Calf Creek and Hermits Creek
Fire complex. The Calf Canyon fire began on April 19, and the cause is
under investigation. On April 6, the Hermits Peak fire began as a
prescribed burn in part of the Sant Fe National Forest, but erratic,
gusty winds blew it out of control. Strong winds on April 22-23 pushed
the fire through steep terrain and caused a merger with the Calf Canyon
fire, creating a fire complex with more than 180 miles of perimeter. On
May 2, the fire complex had scorched 120,653 acres in size. By May 7,
it had grown to 170,665 acres. Just four days later, on May 11, the
area burned reached 236,939 acres—an additional 66,274 acres—despite
the efforts of 1,863 personnel currently fighting the fire. The Calf
Canyon and Hermits Peak Fire complex is now the second-largest fire in
New Mexico history, just behind the Whitewater-Baldy Complex Fire which
scorched 297,845 acres in the Gila National Forest in 2012.
A third fire, the Cooks Creek Fire, sits to the northeast of the Calf
Canyon and Hermits Peak Fire complex. It may be adding to the thick
plume of smoke, but it is also obscured from view by that plume. The
fire ignited on April 17 and has burned 59,359 acres of ponderosa pine,
oak brush, and grass. On May 11 it reached 97 percent containment.
A May 11 briefing to fire personnel noted that April 2022 was the
second-driest April in northern New Mexico since 1895. This extremely
dry month, on top of an extended drought in the region, has combined
with high temperatures, low humidity, and strong, gusty winds to create
critical fire conditions. Unfortunately, the weather forecast does not
offer much relief. A Red Flag Warning will continue through at least
May 12, with maximum sustained winds of 25 to 35 mph and gusts to 40-45
mph. Maximum temperatures are expected to be in the mid-60s to the
mid-70s Fahrenheit in the lower elevations. Minimum relative humidity
values will be 5 to 14 percent.
Image Facts
Satellite: Aqua
Date Acquired: 5/10/2022
Resolutions: 1km (202.5 KB), 500m (535.1 KB), 250m (1.3 MB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit: MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
https://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/individual.php?db_date=2022-05-12
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