Forest Fires and Prescribed Burning in Southern United States: 19 February 1999
Forest Fires and Prescribed Burning in the Southern United States
19 February 1999
Several active fire signals and smoke plumes are recorded by OSEI with the NOAA AVHRR Sensor on 18 February 1999.
Fig.1. & 2. NOAA images of the vegetation fires in the Southern United States 18 February 1999
(Source: NOAA http://www.osei.noaa.gov/)
See also remarks at the end of this daily update: The fire signatures in the Southeast represent mainly prescribed burning operations.
LAST INCIDENT MANAGEMENT SITUATION REPORT (12 February, 1999)
http://www.nifc.gov/news/sitreprt.html
CURRENT SITUATION:
Minimal fire activity was reported nationally. The National Interagency Coordination Center mobilized miscellaneous overhead to the Southern Area for prescribed fires. Radios were mobilized to the Northwest Area for the incident involving the New Carissa oil tanker off the Oregon Coast, near Coos Bay.
OUTLOOK:
The Southeast U.S. from the Carolinas to Mississippi will have a cold front move through today, reaching Florida tomorrow. This will bring scattered showers and thunderstorms to the area. Saturday will be dry, cooler and breezy with lingering showers in central and southern Florida. High pressure will build over the area Sunday through Wednesday bringing dry and warm weather. Mississippi and Alabama will have an increasing chance of showers Thursday. Florida will be warm today with high temperatures in the 70’s (21°C) and 80’s (26°C). Temperatures north of the front will be in the 40’s (4°C) and 50’s (10°C). Saturday and Sunday will remain cool, with temperatures warming into the 60’s (15°C) and 70’s (21°C) by Tuesday and Wednesday.
Southern California will be sunny and dry through Sunday. Monday and Tuesday will be partly cloudy with a chance of showers on Wednesday. Dry conditions are expected to return on Thursday. High temperatures will range from the 40’s (4°C) and 50’s (10°C) in the mountains and 60’s (15°C) to mid 70’s (21°C) in the lower elevations.
The Southwest Area will be dry through Saturday becoming warmer with locally gusty winds on Sunday. Monday will be windy with scattered rain and showers over the northern mountains. Tuesday will be dry. Wednesday and Thursday will be cooler and windy with scattered rain and snow showers. High temperatures will range from the 40’s (4°C) and 50’s (10°C) in the mountains to the 60’s (15°C) and 70’s (21°C) in the southern deserts through Sunday. Temperatures will become cooler Monday through Wednesday.
An excellent Wildfire Season Forecast for Florida can be seen under this link: 1998-1999 Florida Wildfire Season Forecast
Remarks on Prescribed Burning:
The high-temperature events depicted by the NOAA AVHRR satellite in the Southeast are not all wildfires. At this time of the year prescribed burning operations are conducted routinely. A set of photographic documents on prescribed burning techniques and objectives can be visited in our photo archive. For more information on the extent of prescribed burning in the U.S.A. please visit the last issue of International Forest Fire News.
