FIRES FORCE EVACUATIONS IN SEVERAL WESTERN LOCATIONS
Fire Weather Watch for Eastern Nevada and Utah

August 29, 2001 — NOAA's National Weather Service on Wednesday declared a high alert in eastern Nevada and Utah for the possibility of new lightning-induced fires. Scott Birch, the NWS Western Region's fire weather program manager, analyzed the satellite imagery for Wednesday and saw an air mass that looked dry for several days. (Click NOAA satellite image for larger view of fires in the West taken August 29, 2001.)

"The high pressure will continue to dominate the weather patterns over the western United States into the weekend," Birch said. "Looking at the current weather forecasts and the long range computer models, we will continue to be sunny, hot and dry in many locations.

He added, "I am concerned about the weather pattern I see right now. When you have relative humidities running in the low teens or single digits and there hasn't been much change in these conditions for several days, I continue to worry a lot."

High winds, sometimes gusting to 33 miles per hour, put the former mining town of Weaverville, population about 3,500, into the center of attention as the fire season continues to ravage acres across the West. Weaverville is about 200 miles north of San Francisco and is the site of the Oregon fire in the Shasta-Trinity Forest. Reports indicate the fire has already destroyed homes and businesses, and evacuation shelters remained full.

In addition, the Star fire near Georgetown, Calif., doubled in size, and flames were reported up to half a mile in front of the fire on Wednesday. The fire, burning in the El Dorado National Forest about 45 miles northeast of Sacramento, consumed 8,000 acres and is listed as zero percent contained.

According to Elizabeth Morse, meteorologist in charge of the NWS Sacramento Weather Forecast Office, "Northern California is getting a brief reprieve because of cooling temperatures and higher humidities for the next few days. This is good weather news for the fire fighting community tackling the Star fire right now. As we get into the long Labor Day weekend, we will begin to warm up again and have dry conditions over the area."

Morse and her staff are supporting land management agencies managing fire operations at several northern California locations. "Whenever there are wildfires, the National Weather Service provides the agencies with site-specific forecasts, which help determine the best way to fight the fires. Land management officials can request a spot forecast from us through the Internet. They enter their local observations and we email them back a forecast that tells them what the weather conditions will be like for the next 24 hours.

"The forecasts help them plan their tactics. The changing weather conditions at this time of the year greatly impacts their missions," Morse said.

Lightning Causing Wildfires in Many Areas
In Montana, there are nine fires that have been going on for several days, several of which were started by lightning. The Fridley fire in the Gallatin National Forest has consumed 24,700 acres and is only 20 percent contained. This fire is 15 miles southwest of Livingston. The Trail Creek road is closed, and structure protection is in place. The Bozeman watershed is also threatened.

The Moose fire near Whitefish, Mont. also spread rapidly Tuesday increasing from 4,700 acres to 14,000 acres.

Fires also are burning in other Western States. California and Washington state are impacted by four fires. Wyoming and Idaho firefighters are battling three major blazes. Nevada is seeing smoke from two blazes, while Colorado and Utah each have one large fire underway.

Labor Day Weekend Ahead
"We want people to be cognizant that there are many areas with high fire dangers across the West. Our meteorologists are working with land management agencies to keep them informed about changing weather conditions as we enter this final holiday weekend of the summer," added Birch. He is handling the deployment of 13 of the agency's 50 Incident Meteorologists currently working at the fires or in interagency coordinating centers.

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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