Forest Fires in the United States
27 October 1999
The National Interagency Fire Center reported on 25 October 1999 that several states throughout the West and the Midwest are reporting very high to extreme fire conditions as dry and warm weather continues to dominate. Four large fires were contained yesterday in Texas and Oregon, while six large fires remain uncontained from California, Nevada, Tennessee, and Utah.
Fire Weather Outlook
A storm system in the Northwest is expected to bring rain showers to the western
portions of Oregon and Washington, and into Montana. The rest of the country will be clear
and dry today. California is expected to have above-normal temperatures, as well as light
winds and low humidities.
Fig. 1. Large Wildland Fires in the United States, 25
October 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-14 POES AVHRR HRPT satellite on 25 October 1999 in the western U.S. and California.
Fig. 2. The image shows heat signatures and smoke
plumes from areas of fire burning northeast of Eureka in northern California.
(Source: NOAA http://www.osei.noaa.gov/)
According the INCIDENT MANAGEMENT SITUATION REPORT the current situation for 26 October 1999 can be quoted as follows:
"...
CURRENT SITUATION
Minimal initial attack activity was reported in most Geographic Areas. New large fires
occurred in the Northwest and Northern Rockies Areas. The National Interagency
Coordination Center mobilized telecommunication equipment, engines, a caterer, a shower
unit, infrared aircraft, airtankers, a lead plane, crews and miscellaneous overhead. Very
high to extreme fire indices were reported in Oregon, California, Montana, Idaho, Utah,
Arizona, Colorado and Wyoming.
OUTLOOK:
A Pacific cold front with rain and mountain snow showers is moving eastward across
Washington, Oregon, northwestern California and northern Idaho. There will be clearing in
western Washington and western Oregon this afternoon. It will be partly cloudy in northen
Nevada. Mostly sunny skies will prevail in southern Nevada, southern California and Utah.
Cooler and more humid weather will occur in Washington, Oregon, and Idaho with little
change elsewhere. High temperatures will be in the 50'S in Washington, northern Oregon and
central Idaho; with 60's over southern Idaho, northern Nevada and northern Utah.
Temperatures will be in the 70's to lower 90's over the deserts of southern California,
Nevada and Utah.
... ."
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 |
| 157 | 2,497 | 81,410 | 2,092,348 |
For detailed information regarding specified regions, please refer to the whole report.