Forest Fires in the United States

22 November 1999


The Associated Press reported on 19 November 1999, that mountainous terrain have burned last week throughout the Appalachians, from Georgia to West Virginia. About 28,500 hectares of land were affected in the states of Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, Kentucky and West Virginia. Especially in Kentucky about 16,000 hectares charred the land.
Usually Appalachian fires are not as dramatic as fires in the western United States, because from the view of fire behavior they stay low to the ground. Difficult is it, when wind driven fires by low humidity and high temperatures, flames flare up and move fast into the crown areas.
Mountain forest fires in this areas are usually followed by floods because they burn all fuels, leaving nothing to impede water flow from heavy rains.

Several active fire signals were recorded by OSEI with the NOAA-14 POES AVHRR HRPT satellite on 19 November 1999 in the Mid Atlantic regions of the United States.

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Fig. 1. The image shows heat signatures and smoke plumes from wildfires burning in Kentucky and West Virginia.
(Source: NOAA http://www.osei.noaa.gov/)

The National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) reported on 19 November 1999 that twelve large fires are currently burning in Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Georgia, Kentucky, Missouri, New Mexico, North Carolina and Virginia. Very high to extreme fire conditions are also reported from 14 states ranging from Utah to Georgia

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Fig. 2. Large Wildland Fires in the United States
(Sourc: National Interagency Fire Center)

According the INCIDENT MANAGEMENT SITUATION REPORT the situation for 21 November 1999 can be quoted as follows:

"...
CURRENT SITUATION
Initial attack and large fire activity continued in the Southern Area. Containment objectives were met on several large fires. The National Interagency Coordination Center mobilized helicopters, large transport aircraft, tactical aircraft, crews, and miscellaneous overhead. Very high to extreme fire indices were reported in Utah, Wyoming, Colorado, Kansas, Illinois, Missouri, Kentucky and Tennessee.

OUTLOOK
A fire weather watch is posted in southern California for light to moderate Santa Ana winds on Monday.
Missouri will be mostly cloudy with high temperatures ranging from 55 to 65 degrees and humidities at 35 to 40 percent.
Illinois and Indiana will be partly cloudy with high temperatures at 55 to 65 degrees and humidities at 40 to 50 percent.
Kentucky will be drying from the west, with high temperatures at 60 to 70 degrees. Humidities will range from 40 to 50 percent in the west and 50 to 60 percent in the east.
Virginia and North Carolina will be mostly cloudy with a chance of showers, with high temperatures at 60 to 75 degrees and humidities at 50 to 60 percent.
Georgia will be partly cloudy with a slight change of showers and wet thunderstorms. High temperatures will be in the 60's with humidities around 60 percent.
Southern California will experience light Santa Ana winds later today due to an increasing northwest flow. The mountains will be partly cloudy with high temperatures ranging from 45 to 60 degrees and humidities at 30 to 40 percent. The deserts will be partly sunny with high temperatures in the 70's and humidities at 20 to 30 percent. The valleys will be partly to mostly sunny with high temperatures in the low 60's and humidities at 30 to 45 percent.
... ."

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
88 7,677 88,888 2,255,614

For detailed information regarding specified regions, please refer to the whole report.


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