17 pages, 5 figuresIn this study, drought conditions involving risk of fires are detected applying SMOS-derived soil moisture data and land surface temperature models. Moisture-temperature (SM-LST) patterns studied between 2010 and 2014 were linked to main fire regimes in the Iberian Peninsula. Most wildfires burned in warm and dry soils, but the analysis of pre-fire conditions differed among seasons. Absolute values of SM-LST were useful to detect prone-to-fire conditions during summer and early autumn. Complementarily, SM-LST anomalies were related to droughts and high fire activity in October 2011 and February-March 2012. These episodes were coincident with abnormally anticyclonic atmospheric conditions. Results show that combined trends of new soil moisture space-borne data and temperature models could enhance fire risk assessment capabilities. This contribution should be helpful to face the expected increase of wildfire activity derived from climate changeThis study was funded by the Spanish government through the project PROMISES: Productos y servicios innovadores con sensores de microondas, SMOS y Sentinels para tierra (ESP2015-67549-C3-1-R), and the pre-doctoral grant Ayudas para contratos predoctorales para la Formación de Doctores, with reference BES-2013-066240. This work was also supported by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). Additional funding came to the second author from Fundación BBVAPeer Reviewe
