Uploaded October 2021 | Updated September 2026, 4 days ago
NOAA's GOES-16 satellite detected a strong solar flare with its Solar Ultraviolet Imager (SUVI) at 11:35 am ET on October 28, 2021.
NOAA's GOES-16 satellite detected a strong solar flare with its Solar Ultraviolet Imager (SUVI) at 11:35 am ET on October 28, 2021.

![Hurricane Kay Brings Rain to the Southwest While Wildfires Rage to the North
NOAA satellites have tracked a lot of activity across western North America this month. From wildfires, to a hurricane, to heavy rains in the drought-stricken region, this imagery has been vital in monitoring these events.
While wildfires have become more and more common, recent fires have been particularly devastating. This year’s fire danger was also increased by trade winds from the east, similar to those that tore through in 2020, leading to record-breaking megafires. Unlike the moisture-laden winds from the Pacific, east winds have a tendency to dry out over the Cascade Range and sweep down into western Oregon. The combination of drought, wind, and heat, left the region primed like a tinderbox.
Credits:
NOAA
NASA
CIRA
Music: “No Vacancy” by David Gerard Lawrence [PRS]; Chappell Noir; Universal Production Music Hurricane Kay Brings Rain to the Southwest While Wildfires Rage to the North](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/6nBV_jlLd6A/mqdefault.jpg)
![Tongan Eruption Ripples Around the Globe
Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai, located in the South Pacific Kingdom of Tonga, has erupted three times in less than thirty days. The volcano has sporadically erupted since 2009 with the most recent activity beginning in late December 2021 when a series of Surtseyan eruptions built up and reshaped the island while sending bursts of tephra and volcanic gases spewing from the vent.
On Jan.13, 2022, NOAA’s GOES West satellite captured the second eruption. According to local officials, the eruption had a radius of 161.5 miles and sent ash, steam, and gas 12.4 miles into the air. It was more powerful than the previous eruption on Dec. 20, but an even more intense series of explosions began on January 15. The eruptions generated atmospheric shock waves, sonic booms, and tsunami waves that traveled the world and were heard as far away as Alaska.
Learn more:
https://www.nesdis.noaa.gov/news/the-hunga-tonga-hunga-haapai-eruption-multi-hazard-event
Credits:
NOAA
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
CIRA
Japan Meteorological Agency
CIMSS/SSEC
The International Gemini Observatory/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA
Damien Grouille and Cecil Sabau
Music credit: “Safe from Harm” by Ryan Grogan [APRA], UPM Tongan Eruption Ripples Around the Globe](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/6oANPi-SWN0/mqdefault.jpg)
![Wildfires Erupt in the Pacific Northwest
A series of recent wildfires ignited or spread this past week as warm, dry, and windy conditions—a rarity for the rainy Pacific Northwest—have swept across Washington, bringing some of the driest October weather conditions to the region in decades.
Learn more:
https://www.nesdis.noaa.gov/news/wildfires-erupt-the-pacific-northwest
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Credits:
NOAA
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
CIRA
Music:
“Wandering Streams” by Kurt Oldman [BMI];Killer Tracks; Universal Production Music Wildfires Erupt in the Pacific Northwest](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/6tbmAQN466o/mqdefault.jpg)
![Fires Blaze Across the Western U.S.
As record-breaking heat continues to scorch parts of the southwestern U.S. and Mexico, NOAA satellites are monitoring fires in the western U.S., which are sending plumes of smoke into the atmosphere.
As of July 26, 2023, a total of 39 large fires have burned 201,637 acres in nine states, including Arizona, New Mexico, Oregon, Idaho, Colorado, California, Texas, Montana, and Washington.
Since January, 29,118 wildfires have burned roughly 950,000 acres across the U.S., below the 10-year average of 33,520 wildfires and 3,534,123 acres burned.
Credits:
NOAA
NASA
CIRA
Music: “Sea of Time” by Ollie Juhani Varis [TEOSTO]; Universal Publishing Prod. Music Nordic; Universal Production Music Fires Blaze Across the Western U.S.](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/6xU6GBjFKHg/mqdefault.jpg)



![Earth from Orbit: Spring Snowstorm
This week, NOAA satellites have been closely monitoring the spring snowstorm that brought snow to parts of the Pacific Northwest, and blizzard conditions across parts of the Northern Plains.
Credits:
NOAA
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
CIRA
Music: “Safe From Harm,” by Ryan Grogan [APRA]; Afrosonic; Universal Production Music Earth from Orbit: Spring Snowstorm](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/7Z_qf7xPnsQ/mqdefault.jpg)
![GOES-19 Captures Extended Images of the Suns Atmosphere
NOAA recently unveiled the first images from the Compact Coronagraph (CCOR-1) and the Solar Ultraviolet Imager (SUVI), two advanced instruments onboard the GOES-19 satellite, which launched on June 25, 2024. These tools are set to revolutionize space weather monitoring and forecasting as they begin observing the sun and its influence on Earth.
*NOTE: Data from GOES-19, during its post-launch testing phase, should be considered preliminary and non-operational.
More:
https://www.nesdis.noaa.gov/news/noaas-goes-19-captures-extended-images-of-the-suns-atmosphere
Credits:
NOAA, NASA
Music:
“Beams Of Light” by Ehab Fawaz Abualsaoud [BMI]; Hypersonic Music; Universal Production Music GOES-19 Captures Extended Images of the Suns Atmosphere](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/8-9Hq_ZHdXI/mqdefault.jpg)
