Near record wildfire season in California, USA

Sentinel-3 SLSTR RBT acquired on 26 May 2020 at 18:12:47 UTC
Sentinel-3 SLSTR RBT acquired on 20 August 2020 from 18:19:19 to 18:22:19 UTC
Sentinel-3 SLSTR RBT acquired on 26 August 2020 at 18:27:49 UTC
Sentinel-5P TROPOMI CO acquired from 19 August 2020 at 21:43:30 to 24 August 2020 at 20:08:30 UTC
Sentinel-5P TROPOMI AER_AI acquired from 19 August 2020 at 21:43:30 to 24 August 2020 at 20:08:30 UTC
Author(s): Sentinel Vision team, VisioTerra, France - svp@visioterra.fr
Keyword(s): Emergency, natural disaster, climate change, global warming, atmosphere, air quality, pollution, drought, USA
Fig. 1 - S3 SLSTR (26.05.2020) - Snow covers the Sierra Nevada, Central California, at the end of may 2020, before the fire season began.
Fig. 2 - S3 SLSTR (20.08.2020) - Many large wildfires were active simultaneously at the worst of the disaster.
Fig. 3 - S3 SLSTR (26.08.2020) - While the fires were less active, one can assess the many burn scars that devastate the landscape.
2018 Mendocino Complex record has not been beaten yet, but the second and third largest wildfire complexes ever recorded in California are still active.
Fig. 4 - S5P TROPOMI (19-24.08.2020) - 6-days mean CO total column, the fires had a severe impact on air quality.
A severe drought at the start of the year led to a mass die-off of trees. Consistant rainfalls arrived but late, the died trees then caused a high risk of wildfires.
Fig. 5 - 19-24.08.2020 - 6-days mean aerosol index. The pollution affected mostly the Central Valley and the Basin & Range region.
The 7175 reported fire incidents caused almost 8000 km² to burn, but only 7 victims have been recorded. It is the second worst year regarding surfaces burnt after 2018.