Forest Fires in the United States: 6 September 1999
Forest Fires in the United States
6 September 1999
The National Interagency Fire Center reported on 3 September 1999 that 8 large fires in California, Texas, and Utah are burning an area of 124,967 acres (50,572 ha). More than 11,000 firefighters are battling blazes throughout the West and are supported by 587 engines, 98 helicopters, 11 airtankers, and 1,542 support personnel. Although extreme conditions have decreased, the potential for wildland fires remain. Fire managers urge travelers to be aware of conditions as they venture into the wildlands this holiday weekend. Many areas enforce campfire restrictions when extreme conditions exist.
Fire Weather Outlook
Most of California is expected to experience decrease winds, with gradual increased tempertures and lower humidities throughout the weekend. As the current cooler weather system moves east, temperatures will begin to rise throughout northwestern states. The Southwest will continue to receive rain showers associated with the monsoonal system over the four-corner states. Rain showers are also expected over Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas.
Fig. 1. Large Wildland Fires in the United States, 3 September 1999
(National Interagency Fire Center)
For more information please refer to the website of National Interagency Fire Center.
Several active fire signals are recorded by OSEI with the NOAA-15 POES AVHRR HRPT on 3 September 1999 in California.
Fig. 2. The image shows heat signatures from large areas of fire burning in northern and southern California.
(Source: NOAA http://www.osei.noaa.gov/)
Fig.3. The satellite image is showing hotspots in California detected by satellite on 2 September 1999.
(Source: FireM3)
The BLM – Alaska Fire Service 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.4. IAMS image of active fires in Alaska, 5 September 1999
(Source: BLM – Alaska Fire Service )
According the INCIDENT MANAGEMENT SITUATION REPORT the current situation for 5 September 1999 can be quoted as follows:
“…
CURRENT SITUATION
Initial attack activity was moderate in the Southern Area and minimal in most other areas. Large fire activity continued in the Northern California and Southern California Areas. The National Interagency Coordination Center mobilized infrared aircraft, telecommunications equipment and miscellaneous overhead. Very high to extreme fire indices were reported in Oregon, California, Utah, Nevada, Arizona, South Dakota, Indiana, Alabama, Kentucky, Tennessee and Texas.
OUTLOOK:
Dry high pressure has developed over most of the western U.S., returning temperatures and relative humidities to normal or trending that way. The exceptions are along the Canadian border. A weak upper level trough will spread high clouds over Montana, northern Oregon and Washington, where a cold front will provide partly sunny skies with a chance of rain and showers. Weak monsoonal moisture will again return to southeast Arizona and parts of New Mexico for a chance of thunderstorms.
Texas, Alabama, Florida and Kentucky will have a weak cold front move slowly from the Missouri valley to the Ohio valley with little effect other than partly sunny skies. High temperatures will remain in the 90’s across most of the southeast. Florida and Kentucky will be dry. Southern Texas to Alabama will see scattered to widely scattered thunderstorms. Low relative humidities will continue with ranges of 30 to 40 percent common across the southeast.
… .”
Following basic fire data describe the fire situation in the United States (data of 3 September):
Number of FIRES in the last 24 hours HECTARES burning in the last 24 hours FIRES
YEAR-TO-DATE HECTARES
YEAR-TO-DATE 199 6,413 70,233 1,740,623
For detailed information regarding specified regions, please refer to the whole report.
