page_title: 2002 California wildfires
hierarchical_section_title: 2002 California wildfires
caption_attribution_description: The Santa Ana winds in Southern California sweep down across the deserts and across the Los Angeles Basin pushing dust and smoke from wildfires far out into the Pacific Ocean. This view from the Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer shows the pattern of airborne dust stirred up by Santa Ana winds on February 9, 2002. The image is from MISR's 70-degree forward-viewing camera, and airborne particulates are especially visible due to the camera's oblique viewing angle. Southeast of the Los Angeles Basin, a swirl of dust, probably blown through the Banning Pass, curves toward the ocean near Dana Point. The largest dust cloud occurs near Ensenada, in Baja California, Mexico. Also visible in this image is a blue-gray smoke plume from a small fire located near the southern flank of Palomar Mountain in Southern California. This image was acquired during Terra orbit 11423, and represents an area of about 410 kilometers x 511 kilometers.
context_page_description: The 2002 California wildfires were a series of wildfires that were active in the state of California during the year 2002. In total, there were 8,328 fires that burned 969,890 acres of land.
context_section_description: The 2002 California wildfires were a series of wildfires that were active in the state of California during the year 2002. In total, there were 8,328 fires that burned 969,890 acres (3,925.0 km²) of land.
caption: NASA satellite image of Santa Ana winds blowing across Southern California and starting wildfires, on February 9, 2002
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