Fire and smoke from Kansas Flint Hills burning shows up on weather radar, satellite
The National Weather Service in Kansas City was having a little entertainment with its fancy weather radar and satellite Sunday afternoon.
“Fun with really expensive equipment,” the weather service tweeted along with a 1 second GIF, which showed flashing red dots and gray streaks over Kansas’ Flint Hills.
“The red spots indicate where our satellite detects fires,” the weather service said. “The plumes indicate where our radars are detecting the smoke coming off of those fires.”
The weather service had a simple explanation for all the fires: Flint Hills burning season.
Each year, Kansas ranchers burn off dead grass in their cattle pastures to encourage growth of new grass. The skies over the Flint Hills become thick with smoke as the the controlled burns like up the skies in the March and April.
This story was originally published March 30, 2020 at 9:30 AM.
