Forest Fires in the United States
22 July 1999
Possible vegetation fires were detected by NESDIS/OSEI with the NOAA-14 AVHRR HRPT satellite on 21 July 1999.
Fig.1. The image shows hot spots and and smoke plumes
from areas of fire burning in southern California to the northwest of Santa Barbara and on
Santa Catalina Island in the Pacific Ocean.
(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, 22 July
1999
(Source: BLM - Alaska Fire Service )
Regarding the INCIDENT
MANAGEMENT SITUATION REPORT the current situation and the outlook for
21 July 1999 can be quoted as follows:
"...
CURRENT SITUATION:
Increased initial attack activity was reported in California and the Northwest. New large
fires occurred in the Northwest, the Great Basin, and Southern California. The National
Interagency Coordination Center mobilized airtankers, infrared aircraft, radio equipment,
engines, type 1 and type 2 helicopters, overhead, crews, caterers, and shower units. The
National Interagency Fire Center jet will be moving crews from the Southwest to Southern
California today. High to extreme fire indices were reported in Oregon,
Washington, California, Idaho, Utah, Nevada and Connecticut.
OUTLOOK:
Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, western Wyoming, Montana, Utah, northern California
and Oregon will have scattered afternoon thunderstorms.
Idaho and Washington will experience isolated to widely scattered
afternoon thunderstorms.
Nevada, southern and central California will be mostly sunny and dry.
Temperatures along the coast will range from 60 to 75. The mountains will be warming into
the 80's, with 90 to 110 in the inland valleys and southern
deserts. Northern desert temperatures will be in the 90's.
Arizona and Idaho winds will generally be light except for areas of 10 to
20 MPH. Unpredictable, gusty winds are expected near thunderstorms.
The interior of Alaska will be cloudy with showers. Temperatures will be
in the 50's, with southwest winds from 10 to 20 MPH, gusting to 25 MPH.
..."
The fire activity in the UNITED STATES can be described by following basic fire data:
| Number of FIRES in the last 24 hours | HECTARES burning in the last 24 hours | FIRES YEAR-TO-DATE |
HECTARES YEAR-TO-DATE |
| 307 | 7,810 | 54,253 | 935,670 |
For detailed information regarding specified regions, please refer to the whole report.