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SNOW STORM MAY HELP FIGHT COLORADO WILDFIRE

May 23, 2002 — A springtime Rocky Mountain snow storm Thursday night could be a boon for firefighters battling a forest fire in the San Isabel-Pike National Forest south of Denver, according to local NOAA National Weather Service forecasters. (Click NOAA weather satellite image for larger view of the western USA taken May 23, 2002 at 12:45 p.m. EDT. Click here for latest view.)

Started by lightning Tuesday, the fire bloomed to 2,500 acres Wednesday, as high winds drove flames through ponderosa pine, Douglas fir and grass in a rugged area three miles southwest of Deckers, Colo., and about 40 miles south-southwest of Denver.

The National Interagency Fire Center noted that a Type 1 Incident Management Team has been assigned to battle the blaze, which was reported to be spotting 3/4-mile ahead of the fire front.

A NOAA Weather Service Incident Meteorologist (I-Met) from the Pueblo weather forecast office had arrived at the fire Wednesday afternoon to provide on-site forecasts and updates to the fire fighting team.

National Weather Service forecaster Daniel Leszcynski, of the Denver office, said a major weather break should be provided to firefighters Thursday night as the office has issued a Winter Storm Watch for Jefferson and Douglas counties, where the fire is burning.

"The forecast calls for scattered showers and thunderstorms Thursday," Leszcynski said, "with the rain changing to snow in the evening. We're expecting a low of about 30 degrees tonight and about 3-6 inches of snow out of this, so that should at least help slow the fire."

Leszcynski said scattered snow showers are expected to continue through Friday morning. "As dry as it's been, people around here will take any kind of precipitation," he said.

While snow should help dampen the fire Thursday night, Leszcynski said current weather conditions are hampering containment efforts. "I talked to (I-Met) Makoto Moore and he said they are probably looking at another half-day to full day of critical conditions," Leszcynski said. "Apparently, they want to do some airdrops with fire retardants, but a major inversion layer is preventing the smoke from dissipating and pilots can't see where to make the drops for the time being."

Relevant Web Sites
Updated forecast information is available on the home pages of local National Weather Service offices. These pages are organized by geographic regions of the country.

NOAA's Fire Weather Information Center

For additional information on the NOAA's Fire Weather Program, please visit NOAA's National Fire Forecasts, Offices and Outlooks, Boise, Idaho.

NOAA's 2001 Western U.S. Wildfires Summary — Includes maps

Latest NOAA Satellite Images of Fires

NOAA's NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORECASTERS PROVIDE CRITICAL SUPPORT TO WILDFIRE MANAGEMENT

All About Wild Fires

NOAA's Fire Weather Program (Describes wild fire weather terms)

Fire Weather Forecasts from NOAA's Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Oklahoma

National Interagency Fire Center — Includes latest news and glossary of wildfire terms

Media Contact:
Patrick Slattery, NOAA's National Weather Service Central Region, (816) 891-7734 ext. 621

 

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