Forest Fires in the United States: 9 November 1999
Forest Fires in the United States
9 November 1999
Several active fire signals are recorded by OSEI with the NOAA-14 POES AVHRR HRPT satellite on 8 November 1999 in North Dakota, Manitoba (Canada) and Saskatchewan (Canada).
Fig. 1. The image shows heat signatures, probably from areas of fire burning in Manitoba, Saskatchewan (Canada) and in North Dakota. The OSEI Team was unable to find direct reports verifying the existence of fires in this region but it is likely that these hot spots are fire-related.
(Source: NOAA http://www.osei.noaa.gov/)
The Wildland Fire Assessment System, provided by “The Fire Behavior Research Work Unit”, Missoula (Montana USA), produces a fire danger maps such as follows.
Fig. 2. Fire Danger Forecast Map, 9 November 1999
(Source: Fire Behavior Research Work Unit, Missoula)
The National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) reported on 5 November 1999 that the national wildland fire response level was reduced as fire activity decreased in most states. There are three large fires burning in Idaho, Montana, and Texas, but all are expected to be contained.
Fire Weather Outlook
Dry conditions and partly cloudy skies will prevail over most of the West today. Temperatures will range from the 40s and 50s in the mountains to the 60s in the valleys.
The Wildland Fire Update from the NIFC will be updated from now on every Friday unless significant activity occurs.
Fig. 3. Large Wildland Fires in the United States
(Sourc: National Interagency Fire Center)
For more information please refer to the website of National Interagency Fire Center.
According the INCIDENT MANAGEMENT SITUATION REPORT the situation for 8 November 1999 can be quoted as follows:
“…
CURRENT SITUATION
Initial attack activity was minimal in all Geographic Areas. New large fires were reported in the Northwest and Great Basin Areas. Very high to extreme fire indices were reported in California, Idaho, Colorado, Illinois, and Indiana.
OUTLOOK:
A weakening cold front will cross southern Idaho resulting in much cooler temperatures and a chance for rain showers. It will be mostly cloudy with high temperatures in the 50’s and lower 60’s with 40’s in the mountains.
High pressure will give way to a weakening cold front from the west into Utah, Colorado and Wyoming. Temperatures will continue to be warm ahead of the front with locally gusty winds and low humidities in Wyoming and Colorado. High temperatures will be in the 60’s and 70’s with 50’s in the mountains.
South Dakota will continue to be unseasonably warm under a large ridge of high pressure. The area will be mostly sunny with record and near record temperatures in the mid 70’s to the mid 80’s.
A large ridge of high pressure over Indiana, Illinois, Ohio and Kentucky will produce continued dry and unseasonably warm temperatures. It will be partly to mostly sunny with high temperatures in the 60’s and 70’s and near 80 degrees over southern Illinois.
A Pacific cold front will have crossed eastward producing mostly cloudy skies across California except for the extreme south where it will be partly cloudy. Scattered rain showers are expected over the northern and central sections of the state with high elevation snow showers in the Sierra Nevada range. Temperatures will be in the 50’s and 60’s in the north to the 60’s and 70’s in the south. The southern deserts will be in the 80’s and the Sierra Nevada’s will be 30 to 40 degrees.
… .”
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 9 1,458 88,286 2,220,046
For detailed information regarding specified regions, please refer to the whole report.
