Forest Fires in the United States: 29 July 1999
Forest Fires in the United States
29 July 1999
Possible vegetation fires were detected by NESDIS/OSEI with the NOAA-15 AVHRR HRPT satellite on 28 July 1999.
Fig.1. The image shows heat signatures and a large smoke plume from areas of fire burning in eastern Idaho and northern Wyoming.
(source: http://www.osei.noaa.gov/).
Additional to the usual satellite imageries the IAMS of the BLM – Alaska Fire Service is shown below. 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, 28 July 1999
(Source: BLM – Alaska Fire Service )
Regarding the INCIDENT MANAGEMENT SITUATION REPORT the current situation for 28 July 1999 can be quoted as follows:
“…
CURRENT SITUATION:
Moderate initial attack activity occurred nationwide. New large fires were reported in the Northern Rockies and Southern Areas. Good progress was accomplished on large fires in Northern Rockies and southern California. The National Interagency Coordination Center mobilized a lead plane, air tankers, helicopters, infrared aircraft, telecommunications equipment, crews and miscellaneous overhead. High to extreme fire indices were reported in Oregon, Washington, California, Montana, North Dakota, Idaho, Utah, Nevada, South Dakota, Wyoming and New Jersey.
OUTLOOK:
High pressure aloft continues to dominate the weather across the western United States. Monsoon moisture will continue to move northward out of the southwestern states. An upper level trough and low pressure system along the west coast will keep the Pacific Northwest, coastal California and much of the interior dry and warm.
Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, Montana, Wyoming, and eastern Idaho will have isolated to scattered afternoon and evening showers and thunderstorms.
This activity will be prevalent over the mountains. Utah and Arizona may experience heavy rain accompanying thunderstorms.
Montana, Nevada, eastern Oregon, Wyoming and western Idaho will experience isolated dry thunderstorms.
The rest of the western states will be dry and mostly sunny, except for morning low clouds and fog along the California and Oregon coasts. High
temperatures will be in the 80’s to near 100 in most locations, with the exception of 70’s in the mountains to near 110 in the desert lowlands.
Eastern Oregon, western Idaho, and Nevada will see relative humidities down to near 10 percent in the afternoon.
…”
Following basic fire data describe the fire situation in the UNITED STATES.
Number of FIRES in the last 24 hours HECTARES burning in the last 24 hours FIRES
YEAR-TO-DATE HECTARES
YEAR-TO-DATE 188 1,354 56,439 1,024,027
For detailed information regarding specified regions, please refer to the whole report.
