WEATHER HELPS FIREFIGHTERS, BUT FORECASTERS EXPECT GUSTY WINDS IN CENTRAL CALIFORNIA

September 10, 2001 — Firefighters continued their progress tackling eight large fires in the Western states, thanks to favorable weather conditions over the past weekend. Rains, and even a few snow flakes, fell on some of the affected areas, which helped firefighters battle more than three million acres currently on fire. (Click NOAA satellite image for larger view of fires in California taken Sept. 10, 2001.)

According to Larry Van Bussum, NOAA's National Weather Service staff meteorologist at the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise, Idaho, "Very high to extreme fire indices continued in Oregon, California, Idaho, Utah, Nevada, Arizona, Colorado and Montana on Monday."

Bussum added: "We're expecting clear weather and light winds for much of the West through Tuesday. But we have also warned firefighters there is a low pressure system off the central California coast that will likely cause afternoon winds to influence fires in those areas."

Cindy Bean, a NWS Incident Meteorologist, assigned to the Darby Fire near Yosemite National Park, also told officials at that fire to expect more winds through Tuesday afternoon from the low pressure system.

The Darby Fire is in Calaveras County, just west of Yosemite National Park. Firefighters have contained 50 percent of the fire, which has scorched 5,065 acres since it started Sept. 5. This fire is burning in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountain range, about 70 miles southeast of Sacramento.

"The fire is south of Hathaway Pines," said Bean. "The incoming weather has really affected this fire the past couple of days. There are strong up-canyon winds, which have intensified the fire each afternoon. These winds should pass through Tuesday afternoon. On Sunday afternoon, these winds hampered the firefighters' efforts because there were gusts to 30 miles per hour over the fire. This fans the fire, sometimes in an erratic pattern."

"The low pressure system will remain through midweek, and bring continued windy conditions in the afternoons. There is also a chance of thunderstorms over the higher elevations of Sierra Nevada and Tehachapi mountains on Tuesday afternoon. These thunderstorms could continue through Wednesday," she said.

NWS meteorologists play a vital role in supporting efforts to control wildfires that rage across the United States each year. The NWS has a small group of experienced fire weather forecasters—approximately 50 nationwide—known as Incident Meteorologists or IMETs. Every year, IMETS are deployed to support hundreds of fires nationwide. There are currently six NWS Incident Meteorologists assigned to fires in Montana and California.

Bean was deployed from her home office at the NWS San Joaquin Valley Forecast Office in nearby Hanford, Calif., on Thursday. This is her third season as an IMET.

Once a fire starts, up-to-date weather information becomes especially critical. Weather and fuels are key ingredients in fire behavior. Accurate forecasts of wind direction and speed strongly influence fire strategy and help incident commanders make the best possible decisions to control wildfires. IMETs are specially trained in mesoscale and microscale meteorology and employ a variety of special tools to prepare the forecast that contributes to the safety of all personnel involved in the management of fires.

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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