Meteorological Conditions in South East Asia: 22 June 1999

Meteorological Conditions in SouthEast Asia

22 June 1999

The Meteorological Service of Singapore reports on 21 June 1999 for the South East Asian region: “A few isolated hot spots were observed over Sumatra and Borneo. Cloudy conditions with showers over most parts of eastern Borneo”.

Fig.1. Regional Surface Winds and Haze/Hot Spot Map, 21 June 1999
(Source: http://www.gov.sg/metsin/hazed.html)

The GFMC displays selected and daily updated global and Asia-Pacific Experimental Climate Prediction Center (ECPC) Fire Weather Forecasts (Fig.2-7). These examples allow a quicklook and provide daily and weekly total forecasts, and forecasted monthly anomalies (for the next month). For background information refer to the ECPC products description page.

tomorrow this week next month

Fig.2-7. Fire Weather Index (FWI) forecast for tomorrow (left), next week (center) and the predicted FWI anomaly for next month (right) for the Western Pacific and the Pacific Ocean. The daily forecast refers to 12:00 hrs noon UTC (Greenwich) time; the weekly total forecast and the monthly forecasted anomaly refer to 00:00 hrs UTC which is local noon at dateline (180° longitude). Forecast time is 12:00 hrs noon UTC (Greenwich) corresponding to local evening time in mainland and insular SE Asia (updated: 22 June 1999).
(Source: http://meteora.ucsd.edu /)

The ASEAN Fire Weather Information System (ASFWIS) is a co-operation between ASEAN and the Canadian Forest Service. It provides maps describing the current fire weather situation in South East Asia. This system is based upon the Canadian Forest Fire Danger Rating System (CFFDRS) (for further infomation to the CFFDRS refer to ASFWIS). Studies have shown that the CFFDRS is applicable outside of Canada. Currently it is also used in a modified form in New Zealand (see References). In New Zealand the Fire Weather Indices Fine Fuel Moisture Code (FFMC) and the Initial Spread Index (ISI) represent the fire danger in the scrublands. The Duff Moisture Code (DMC) is also applicable in South East Asia, because it potentially describes the moisture state of the upper peat layers in peat and peat swamp forests. All three parameters may serve as a suitable indicator of forest fire danger in South East Asia.

According to the ASFWIS for 20 June 1999 these parameters show various fire weather conditions over South East Asia.

Fine Fuel Moisture Code Duff Moisture Code Drought Code

Initial Spread Index Buildup Index Fire Weather Index

Fig.8-13. Output maps of the ASFWIS, 20 June 1999.

The Indonesian Meteorological Agency Badan Meteorologi dan Geofisika publishs the Indonesia Daily Forecasting for 22 June 1999. For the representative selected areas metereological data are provided as follows:

Palembang Samarinda Ujung Pandang Dili Bandung Weather condition cloudy rain rain rain cloudy Temperature max (°C) 33°C 32°C 31°C 31°C 30°C Humidity (min-max %) 50-95 70-96 65-97 58-82 52-85

The latest NOAA14 satellite image shows hot spot locations in Sumatra. “Hot spots” can be identified as red dots.

Fig.14. Latest NOAA Satellite images of Sumatra, 21 June 1999
(Source: http://www.gov.sg/metsin/hazed.html)

The Forest Fire Prevention and Control Project (FFPCP) in Palembang (Sumatra) provides a new fire overview map on 21 June 1999.

Fig.15. Fire Overview Map for 21 June 1999 of the FFPCP project in Palembang
(source: http://www.mdp.co.id/ffpcp/overview.htm)

The latest fire overview map for the Integrated Forest Fire Management (IFFM) project in Samarinda (East Kalimantan) is shown on 15 June 1999.

Summary: Although the current fire weather conditions do under normal conditions not favour extensive land clearing by fire or escaping wildfires in Indonesia, the consequences of the large wildfires of 1997-98 must been taken into consideration. These fires had caused extensive degradation of primary and secondary forests along with the spreading of “alang-alang” (Imperata cylindrica) grasslands. These grasslands facilitate the spread of uncontrolled fires over large areas.