WEATHER BRINGS RELIEF TO SCORCHED WEST
RAINS HELP FIREFIGHTERS BUT DRIER CONDITIONS EXPECTED
FOR NEXT SEVERAL DAYS

August 23, 2001 — NOAA's National Weather Service forecast is calling for continued showers east of the Cascade Mountains in Washington state and northeastern Oregon through Thursday night followed by warmer, drier weather in the area for Friday into the weekend. In California and Nevada, where several fires continue to consume pristine national forests, drier and warmer weather are on tap through at least early next week. (Click NOAA image for larger view. Caption: Jim Prange, National Weather Service Incident Meteorologist, checks winds and humidity on the road as the hotshot crew begins firing operations at the Icicle Fire complex near Leavenworth, Washington. Prange arrived at the Icicle Fire complex on Aug. 15 and is shown here Sunday afternoon at the 8-Mile Creek fire burnout at the fire complex. Burnouts help firefighters suppress wildfires by eliminating vegetation.)

There are 18 of the National Weather Service's specially trained meteorologists, called Incident Meteorologists or IMETs, deployed to fires across the West. These IMETs, and forecasters at NWS offices throughout the nation, are monitoring the fire situations closely because they know these hot and dry conditions can often become the catalyst for future fires or can rekindle existing fires.

In eastern Washington, the expected rains worked in favor of firefighters during the day and a half. Crews were able to make good headway on several major fires along the eastern slopes of the Cascade Mountain range. More than 150,000 acres have been charred and 26,600 firefighters and support personnel are assigned to wildland fires. Across the West, 28 major fires are burning Thursday, down from 32 on Wednesday, and 42 on Tuesday.

Rain began falling on the fires late Tuesday and continued through Wednesday. Some lingering rains are occurring Thursday in eastern Washington and northeast Oregon and are expected to continue through Thursday night.

NWS Incident Meteorologists assigned to these high profile fires said the prediction of precipitation earlier this week allowed firefighters their first real chance to make plans and direct attacks since lightning sparked scores of fires on Aug. 12.

The National Interagency Fire Center in Boise, Idaho is calling the Virginia Lake Complex of fires in eastern Washington one of the nation's top firefighting priorities. The fire on the Colville Indian Reservation is northwest of Spokane.

The National Weather Service' San Joaquin Valley Forecast Office is located in Hanford, Calif. The staff has been supporting fires in several national forests in the central part of the state for several days.

"During times of heightened fire activity, the entire San Joaquin Valley Forecast Office staff also raises our support to the fire suppression efforts as a top priority. This support is not only in the form of routine fire weather products for various climate zones within the county warning and forecast area but also in the form of highly localized ‘spot' forecasts. The spot forecasts can be issued 24 hours per day for any number of smaller fires being battled by local resources," said Dan Gudgel, the warning coordination meteorologist.

Gudgel explains when fires become so large as to command an IMET's presence, the forecast office takes on an additional role as a resource and coordinating office for any IMET assigned within their office's forecast area. Currently the Hanford weather office is issuing spot forecasts for a number of smaller fires and coordinating information for three IMETs assigned to blazes in the southern Sierra Nevada.

"With a number of fires underway in the southern Sierra Nevada, we willingly commit our local expertise and sophisticated weather technology to provide support to the fire-fighting community mission and also enhance their safety." says Dan Gudgel.

One of those IMETs located at a nearby fire is NWS San Joaquin Valley's Troy Lindquist. He was deployed Tuesday afternoon from his home office to the Highway Fire, two miles east of Dunlap, Calif. The fire is located in the Sequoia National Forest and, as of Thursday, 1,500 acres are involved and the fire is just 20 percent contained. Highway 180 is closed due to active fire behavior.

Lindquist is the only IMET assigned to the Highway Fire where he provides briefings from 6:00 a.m. through 11:00 p.m. to various groups ranging from the incident command teams to a twice daily larger briefing for more than one hundred people.

"Today the temperature is below normal for this area and the humidity is slightly above normal. This means the fire has been inactive and hasn't made any major runs in the past 24 hours. For Friday, we'll warm up and these higher temperatures and drier conditions make it more favorable for burning. At this point, the winds likely won't contribute to fanning the fires but we are always monitoring the winds as a key weather condition," said Lindquist.

In Texas, recent rain events have provided a break in fire activity for most of the state, but, portions of south-central Texas, that received little or no precipitation, remain at high risk. With hot and dry conditions forecast for the central part of the state, the wildfire threat will increase. Outdoor burning bans remain in effect for 109 counties throughout the state. The Division of Emergency Management and the Texas Forest Service will continue to monitor and evaluate the state's wildfire threat. Since January 1, Texas has experienced 531 wildfires that have burned a total of 44,000 acres.

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 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:
Marilu Trainor, NOAA's National Weather Service Western Region, (801) 524-5692 ext. 226

 

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