Forest Fires in the United States: 21 July 1999
Forest Fires in the United States
21 July 1999
Possible vegetation fires were detected by NESDIS/OSEI with the NOAA-14 AVHRR LAC satellite on 19 July 1999.
Fig.1. The image shows a hot spot and smoke plume from an area of fire burning north of Santa Barbara in southern California. This image illustrates the difficulty in fire detection by satellite using afternoon passes at low latitudes. Band 3 of the AVHRR, which detects fire-related hot spots, is easily saturated by high-temperature ground which has been heated by the sun. Much of the pink area in this image is due to this phenomenon. A yellow arrow has been added to the image to indicate the heat signatures which are fire-related.
(source: http://www.osei.noaa.gov/).
Additional to the usual satellite imagery the IAMS of the BLM – Alaska Fire Service is introduced (Fig.2.). The Initial Attack Management System (IAMS) is suite of computer applications developed by BLM/Fire to aid dispatchers and fire managers. IAMS Maps is one of these applications and provides graphical representation of various kinds of geographic data. Maps has been modified to produce output to a Web site to allow internet access to the data that IAMS stores. Dynamic data such as lightning (available May – September), fires, etc. are updated at the homepage of the BLM – Alaska Fire Service (select Maps / AFS IAMS Maps Viewer) every 15 minutes during the fire season.
Fig.2. IAMS image of active fires in Alaska, 21 July 1999
(Source: BLM – Alaska Fire Service )
Regarding the INCIDENT MANAGEMENT SITUATION REPORT the current situation and the outlook for 20 July 1999 can be quoted as follows:
“…
CURRENT SITUATION:
Moderate initial attack activity was reported in most areas. The Eastern Area reported one new large fire. Good progress was made on the existing large fires in the Great Basin, southern California and Alaska. In addition to the fires reported below in Alaska’s large fire narratives, the state has 67 fires burning in limited and modified protection areas for a total of 929,208 acres (376,037 ha). The National Interagency Coordination Center mobilized airtankers, engines, radio equipment, helicopters, overhead, crews, a caterer, and a shower unit. High to extreme fire indices were reported in Connecticut, Oregon, Washington, California, Idaho, Utah, Nevada and Arizona.
OUTLOOK:
Fire weather watch has been posted for dry lightning in UTAH and WASHINGTON.
Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Western Wyoming, Montana, Utah, Nevada, Northern California and Oregon will have scattered afternoon thunderstorms.
Idaho and Washington will experience isolated to widely scattered afternoon thunderstorms.
Southern and central California will be partly cloudy and dry.
Temperatures along the coast will range from 60 to 75. The mountains of the west will be in the 80’s with 90 to 110 in the inland valleys and southern deserts. Temperatures in the lower elevations of the north will be in the 90’s.
Winds will be generally light but gusting near thunderstorms.
The interior of Alaska will be cloudy with rain. Temperatures will be in the 60’s to near 70, with southwest winds from 10 to 15 mph.
…”
The fire activity in the UNITED STATES can be estimated to 271 fires for 14,698 hectares during the last 24 hours.
YEAR TO DATE FIRES – 53,889
YEAR TO DATE HECTARES – 919,909
For detailed information regarding specified regions, please refer to the whole report.
