LATEST WEATHER FORECAST BRINGS GOOD AND BAD NEWS FOR FIREFIGHTERS

August 30, 2001 — Lightning strikes sparked new wildfires in Utah on Wednesday, as a weather system began setting up over the Northwest, lowering temperatures, but stirring up winds and the possibility of more, fire-starting dry thunderstorms, according to NOAA's National Weather Service. (Click NOAA satellite image of California wildfires taken August 30, 2001.)

"These dry thunderstorms mean more fire ignitions are likely," said Scott Birch, NOAA's National Weather Service Western Region fire weather program manager. He also predicted wet thunderstorms in Arizona and New Mexico.

Birch said the Pacific Northwest will see a decrease in temperatures over the Labor Day weekend as a Pacific weather system moves toward the area. "The bad news is there will also be an increase in winds for this area. We're also looking at areas in southern Montana where they could see dry thunderstorms during the afternoon heating time."

The forecast for the rest of the Rocky Mountain region calls for the high pressure system that has dominated the area for several days to continue to command the weather.

"We're looking at many inland areas with hot, late summer temperatures and low relative humidities. This weather pattern the next few days simply is not offering much relief to the firefighters and the land management officials" said Birch.

NOAA's Incident Meteorologists Help Wage War on the Fires
Birch said the agency currently has deployed 13 of its 50 Incident Meteorologists, who are specially trained to produce fire weather forecasts.

More IMETs have been trained in the past few years due to the increase in wildfires. According to Birch, having more people trained is good news and part of the agency's overall plan to be ready for any major wildland fire outbreak. The IMETs give the fire crews and incident managers site-specific fire weather forecasts to help them decide how best to fight the fires.

"Depending on how the Labor Day weekend goes for some of the current fires, we may have to call more IMETs into action," Birch said.

As an IMET himself, Birch likened being at a fire to going into a high energy situation. "Our weather forecast is often the ammunition the fire agency managers use to know how to deploy the firefighting troops. We definitely can give them an advantage because we know what the current weather is and what's coming at them," Birch said proudly.

Evacuees Return to Charred Weaverville
Wildfires are fast-spreading blazes, often fueled by high winds and warmth and dry air. The wildfires can impact timbered forests and can threaten towns. In Weaverville, Calif., on Thursday, the blazing pine trees on the nearby mountains were still visible. This tiny hamlet of 3,500 people was evacuated Tuesday as flames ravished the area by the blaze known as the Oregon fire. The wildfire, which ignited Tuesday, is now considered about 60 percent contained. High winds contributed to the rapid spread of the flames.

According to the National Interagency Fire Center, the Weaverville fire was one of 23 large blazes burning Wednesday on more than 226,576 acres in the West.

Other Fires
On the western edge of Glacier National Park, the National Weather Service is providing twice daily briefings to local, regional and federal firefighters who are battling a fire that has scorched more than15,000 acres in this northern Rockies area.

Labor Day Weekend Ahead
"We want people to be cognizant that there are many areas with high fire danger 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.

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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