Forest Fires in the United States
21 September 1999
The National Interagency Fire Center reported on 20 September 1999 that the national level of wildland fire response decreased as the fall season arrives. Two persistent large fire complexes continue to burn in California.
Fire Weather Outlook
Isolated wet storms are expected from northeast California and into Nevada and
Utah today. Unseasonal warm and dry conditions are expected for much of the Northwest
today, while cool moist conditions are expected in the Four Corner states.
The Gulf Coast states expect warm, dry weather across the southern half of Texas to
Lousiana and Mississippi. Minimum relative humidities will range from 30 to 40 percent
iwth only isolated afternoon thunderstorms.
Fig. 1. Large Wildland Fires in the United States, 20
September 1999
(National Interagency Fire
Center)
For more information please refer to the website of National Interagency Fire Center.
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.2. IAMS image of active fires in Alaska, 20
September 1999
(Source: BLM - Alaska Fire Service )
According the INCIDENT MANAGEMENT SITUATION REPORT the current situation for 20 September 1999 can be quoted as follows:
"...
CURRENT SITUATION
Initial attack activity was moderate in the Southern Area and minimal in the rest of the
United States. New large fire activity was reported in the Eastern Great Basin Area. Large
fire activity continued in California, Eastern Great Basin, the Northwest and Southern
Areas. The National Interagency Coordination Center mobilized infrared aircraft, a
helicopter, telecommunications equipment, a shower unit, engines and miscellaneous
overhead. Very high to extreme fire indices were reported in Oregon, California, Idaho,
Montana, Utah, Nevada, South Dakota, Illinois, Indiana, Georgia, Kentucky, Tennessee, and
Texas.
OUTLOOK:
Cool high pressure at the surface will produce moist, cloudy upslope conditions with areas
of fog, drizzle and flurries from southeast Wyoming to northeast New Mexico. Cool return
flow from this high will keep temperatures down across the entire Northern Plains region.
Moist unstable air will continue to produce isolated to scattered showers and
thunderstorms from the Sierra Nevada to Colorado and New Mexico with the most numerous and
wettest around the Four Corners area.
Upper level warm high pressure combined with a surface thermal low pressure in the inland
northwest, will maintain unseasonable warmth and low humidities in the teens and lower
20's.
The Gulf Coast states will have a high pressure aloft centered over northern Mexico,
keeping it warm and dry across the southern half of Texas to Louisiana and Mississippi.
Minimum relative humidities will range from 30 to 40 percent with only isolated afternoon
thunderstorms. Low pressure over the eastern gulf of Mexico will continue to support
scattered wet thunderstorms for Alabama and Florida with relative humidities staying
mostly above 50 percent. A strong cold front will spread showers, isolated thunderstorms,
cooler temperatures and higher relative humidities across northern Texas. ... ."
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 |
| 275 | 12,588 | 76,146 | 1,919,360 |
For detailed information regarding specified regions, please refer to the whole report.