Forest Fires in the United States

18 July 2001


Wildland Fire Update
The National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) based in Boise (Idaho) provides key information on current wildland fire situations, related information and background materials. The following information is updated daily and can be accessed directly:

The National Interagency Coordination Center (NICC)  provides daily situation reports. These reports include:

 

Fire Weather & Fire Danger Information
The
Wildland Fire Assessment System (WFAS) is a contribution of "The Fire Behavior Research Work Unit", Missoula (Montana USA). The broad area component of the Wildland Fire Assessment System (WFAS) generates maps of selected fire weather and fire danger components.

Fire Danger (Potential) is a normalized adjective rating class across different fuel models and station locations. It is based on information provided by local station managers about the primary fuel model, fire danger index selected to reflect staffing level, and climatological class breakpoints. Low danger (Class 1) is green and extreme potential (Class 5) is red.

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Fire danger maps for the United States for 17 July 2001 (observation time) and 18 July 2001 (forecast)
(Source: WAFS)

Dead fuel moisture responds solely to ambient environmental conditions and is critical in determining fire potential. Dead fuel moistures are classed by timelag.

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10-HR Fuel Moisture

100-HR Fuel Moisture

1000-HR Fuel Moisture

Fuel moisture maps for conterminous US, 17 July 2001
(Source: WAFS)

The Keetch-Byram Drought Index (KBDI) is a soil/duff drought index. Factors in the index are maximum daily temperature, daily precipitation, antecedent precipitation, and annual precipitation. The index ranges from 0 (no drought) to 800 (extreme drought) (details).

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Keetch-Byram Drought Index Maps for conterminous US, 17 July 2001
(Source: WAFS)

 

Near-real time satellite images
Operational Significant Event Imagery (OSEI)
The following significant events were identified by Satellite Analysis Branch meteorologists and reviewed by the OSEI support team of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA):

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click here to enlarge (560 KB)

NESDIS/OSEI NOAA-14 POES AVHRR LAC satellite images, 16 July 2001.
Several heat signatures (red) and smoke (light blue haze) are visible from fires burning in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida (left). Heat signatures (red) and smoke (light blue haze) are visible from fires burning in Utah. The Camp Williams fire (indicated by the yellow arrow) was estimated at 3,000acres on Tuesday. The Fort Ranch fire (indicated by the orange arrow) has burned an estimated 30,000 acres near Golden Spike National Historic Site according to the Division of Forestry, Fire, and State Land. The blurriness in the image is due to the image being close to the edge of the satellite pass. Some of the pink areas in the image are due to solar heating of the ground surface.
(Source: OSEI/NOAA)

 

Long-range weather forecasts
National Weather Service
Long-range, 30-day weather forecasts are predicting above-normal temperatures for the southern tier of states from southern California to Florida and throughout the Midwest (see 30 and 90-day forecast maps).

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30 and 90-day temperature and precipitation forecast maps (July and July to September 2001)
(Source: National Weather Service)

 

The Florida Division of Forestry gives the following long-range outlook summary of the recent Fire Weather & Fire Danger Information for Florida (updated June, 2001):
"Normal summer rainy pattern is developing across the state which will greatly reduce the wildfire threat. Current long-range forecasts offer little more than a guess that conditions will be near normal for the next several months. Several forecasts of Pacific ocean sea surface temperatures indicate a potential for a weak El Nino to develop for this winter, which would bring a wetter than normal winter."

For further information see: Wildfire Season Forecast of the Florida Division of Forestry
For further information you may also see to the U.S. Drought Monitor.

For background information on the Southern Area see the Edited Version of the Southern Area Intelligence Briefing Paper for 22 April 2001.


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