Forest Fires in the United States
24 September 1999
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.1. IAMS image of active fires in Alaska, 24
September 1999
(Source: BLM - Alaska Fire Service )
According the INCIDENT MANAGEMENT SITUATION REPORT the current situation for 24 September 1999 can be quoted as follows:
"...
CURRENT SITUATION
Initial attack activity was moderate in California, Northwest and Southern Areas and
minimal elsewhere. New large fire activity was reported in the Northern Rockies and
Northwest Areas. Large fire activity continued in California, the Northwest and Southern
Areas. The National Interagency Coordination Center mobilized an air attack aircraft,
infrared aircraft, small cargo transport aircraft, helicopters, caterers, a shower, radio
equipment, and miscellaneous overhead. Very high to extreme fire indices were reported in
Oregon, Washington, California, Montana, Idaho, Utah, Nevada, South Dakota, Wyoming,
Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Texas.
OUTLOOK:
A RED FLAG WARNING IS POSTED FOR EASTERN WASHINGTON AND NORTHEAST OREGON FOR
STRONG WINDS AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY.
A FIRE WEATHER WATCH IS POSTED FOR
WYOMING, SPECIFICALLY THE BIGHORN BASIN, GREAT DIVIDE BASIN, WIND RIVER BASIN, AND LANDER FOOTHILLS FOR GUSTY WINDS, LOW HUMIDITIES AND WARM TEMPERATURES
SOUTHERN IDAHO FOR STRONG WINDS ASSOCIATED WITH A DRY COLD FRONT
NORTHERN IDAHO AND WESTERN MONTANA FOR LOW HUMIDITIES AND GUSTY WINDS
A dry cold front passing over the Northwest states will bring strong gusty
west winds. Winds will be 15 to 25 miles per hour with gusts near 40 miles per hour across
Wyoming.
Limited monsoonal moisture will again bring isolated to scattered showers and
thunderstorms to southeast Utah, Arizona, Colorado and New Mexico.
A surface high pressure centered over the southern Atlantic states and a warm, dry west to
northwest flow aloft will maintain warm temperatures and low humidities in the region.
Humidities will range from 25 to 30 percent in Texas and 35 to 45 percent in the Florida
Panhandle. Isolated thunderstorms are possible in the Guadalupe Mountains and Big Bend
areas of 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 |
| 201 | 1,774 | 74,281 | 1,922,706 |
For detailed information regarding specified regions, please refer to the whole report.