National Weather Service United States Department of Commerce

Fire Weather Concerns; Record Warmth Spreads

The Plains to the mid-Mississippi Valley continue with warm and dry conditions. Any fires that initiate could spread quickly. The warm temperatures will expand across the Southern Plains into the Southwest where numerous records are expected through the weekend. Meanwhile, a cold front will move southward across the northern Plains and Great Lakes region where some snow will develop this weekend. Read More >

This visible satellite image on the morning of 13 Jul 2001 shows a number of interesting weather features. One of the more notable features is the shadow cast by the high clouds over the Washington coast onto the lower stratus clouds over the ocean. This image was taken at 5:15 am (10 minutes after sunrise in Spokane), when the sun was to the right of the image.

Also apparent in this image is the fog in the Silver Valley of north Idaho, wild fire smoke along the east slopes of the Washington Cascades, and morning thunderstorms.

Visible Satellite Image