Forest Fires in the United States: 26 October 1999
Forest Fires in the United States
26 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 24 October 1999 in the western U.S. and California.
Fig. 2. and 3. The images show heat signatures and smoke plumes from areas of fire burning in several western states. The right image shows a closer view of heat signatures and smoke plumes from areas of fire burning in California’s Salmon Mts. and Central Valley.
(Source: NOAA http://www.osei.noaa.gov/)
According the INCIDENT MANAGEMENT SITUATION REPORT the current situation for 25 October 1999 can be quoted as follows:
“…
CURRENT SITUATION
New large fires occurred in the Great Basin and Southern Areas. The National Interagency Coordination Center mobilized infrared aircraft, an airtanker, crews and miscellaneous overhead. Very high to extreme fire indices were reported in Oregon, California, Idaho, Utah, Colorado and Illinois.
OUTLOOK:
A north Pacific cold front will move inland with rain and wind in western Washington and western Oregon and increasing clouds in eastern Washington, eastern Oregon and northern Idaho. There will be morning low clouds and fog along the coast. There will be little change in the weather in the west except in western Washington and western Oregon. It will be mostly sunny in California, Utah, Nevada and southern Idaho. High temperatures will range from the 50’S to the mid 60’S in Washington, Oregon and northern Idaho, with mid 60’s and mid 70’s over southern Idaho, northern Nevada, northern Utah and northern California. 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 9 2,497 81,048 2,088,252
For detailed information regarding specified regions, please refer to the whole report.
