Wildfires in Portugal and Northern Spain

Large wildfires have erupted in Portugal and Spain, as well as other parts of southern Europe, due to heatwaves across the region, with temperatures above 104°F (40°C) and moderate winds fanning the flames. The comparison above shows a false-color (Bands M11-I2-I1) corrected reflectance image on the left "A" side, where the advancing active fire front can be seen in bright red and the resulting burned area in dark red. 

On the right "B" side is a true-color corrected reflectance image overlaid with a Fires and Thermal Anomalies layer. Smoke from the fires are easily visible in the true-color image. These images were captured by the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) aboard the joint NASA/NOAA NOAA-20 platform on August 14, 2025.

The comparison above shows that the fires are also visible to the satellite at night. The Black Marble Nighttime Blue/Yellow Composite (Day/Night Band) shows nighttime lights like city street lights, lights along highways, and roads, but it also registers the fires as light as well. Move the center bar left and right to see how the Fires and Thermal Anomalies layer coincides with particular bright areas. 

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