HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EUREKA CA
859 AM PDT SAT JUN 21 2008
CAZ003-004-076-220400-
NORTH COAST INTERIOR-UPPER TRINITY RIVER-MENDOCINO INTERIOR-
859 AM PDT SAT JUN 21 2008
THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHWEST
CALIFORNIA.
.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT
A RED FLAG WARNING HAS BEEN POSTED THROUGH 9 PM PDT FOR INTERIOR
SECTIONS OF HUMBOLDT...MENDOCINO...AND TRINITY COUNTIES. SCATTERED
TO WIDESPREAD THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE TO DEVELOP THROUGH THE
DAY. ALTHOUGH BRIEF HEAVY RAINS MAY FALL DIRECTLY UNDERNEATH
STORMS...LIGHTNING AWAY FROM THE STORM CORE IS LIKELY TO PRODUCE
FIRE STARTS GIVEN THE DRY FUELS.
.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT
SIGNIFICANT WEATHER TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN EUREKA.
ADDITIONALLY...THOSE WITNESSING NEW FIRE ACTIVITY ARE REQUESTED TO
CONTACT THE APPROPRIATE LAND MANAGEMENT AGENCY.
Upwards of 40 fires have been reported due to lightning strikes in the Humboldt, Mendocino, Trinity area. Now would be a good time to keep your eyes open and look around your property for fire and smoke that is too small to spot from afar.
It sounds like the Hoopa are is in for some strong winds.
RED FLAG WARNINGNATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EUREKA CA843 AM PDT SAT JUN 21 2008CAZ211-212-277-283-220400-/O.UPG.KEKA.FW.A.0001.080621T1800Z-080622T0400Z//O.NEW.KEKA.FW.W.0001.080621T1800Z-080622T0400Z/HUPA...THE HOOPA INDIAN RESERVATION AND THE LOWER PORTION OF THETRINITY RIVER DRAINAGE WITHIN THE SIX RIVERS NATIONAL FOREST.-VAN DUZEN / MAD RIVER...INLAND PORTION OF THE VAN DUZEN AND MADRIVER DRAINAGES WITHIN THE SIX RIVERS NATIONAL FOREST.-WESTERN MENDOCINO NATIONAL FOREST / EASTERN MENDOCINO UNIT.-TRINITY...WESTERN PORTION OF THE SHASTA TRINITY NATIONAL FOREST.-843 AM PDT SAT JUN 21 2008...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 PM PDT THIS EVENING..THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN EUREKA HAS ISSUED A RED FLAGWARNING...WHICH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 PM PDT THIS EVENING. THEFIRE WEATHER WATCH IS NO LONGER IN EFFECT.A VIGOROUS UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE WILL COMBINE WITH MID LEVELMOISTURE TO PRODUCE SCATTERED TO WIDESPREAD THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS INTERIOR SECTIONS OF MENDOCINO...HUMBOLDT...AND TRINITY COUNTIES TODAY THROUGH THIS EVENING. SINCE LOW LEVEL MOISTURE IS LACKING...MOST OF THESE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE DRY. AFTER THE RECENT SPELL OF HOT WEATHER COMBINED WITH BELOW NORMAL RAINFALL...CURED FUELS WILL BE HIGHLY RECEPTIVE TO FIRE STARTS. A RED FLAG WARNING MEANS THAT CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE EITHER OCCURRING NOW...OR WILL SHORTLY. A COMBINATION OF STRONG WINDS...LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY...AND WARM TEMPERATURES WILL CREATE EXPLOSIVE FIRE GROWTH POTENTIAL.
The fire horse side of me says “bring it on,” however I still remember several dry lightning storms that caused fires across the region. One season in particular ended up very tragic, 1987. In the space of a few short weeks while fighting lightning caused fires we had: a Garberville VFD engine rollover on Alderpoint road severely injuring at least one fireman; had a tree fall on a Weott CDF engine crew near Alderpoint injuring four firefighters, two of them severely; had a burning snag fall on a CCC crew carrying vehicle on the Travis Ranch in Trinity County killing one corpmember and injuring the CDF Fire Captain and nine other corpmembers; had a National Guard member from Eureka killed when his Guard vehicle went off a mountain road on a fire east of Orleans; had a burnover of the Kneeland CDF Helitack crew which killed one CDF firefighter and severely burned the Captain and two other firefighters; and, near the end of the season, had a CDF airtanker out of Rohnerville Air Attack Base crash near Weott while working a lightning fire killing the pilot.
ReplyDeletePray for the firefighters and for rain with every storm - ERE
I'm praying.
ReplyDeleteThe weather feels like more storms and now Ernie's forecast is reinforcing the feeling.
The two fires we've had today in Salmon Creek are enough for the season.
My brother works for the Hoopa Tribal fire department. They're off and running. Most of the lightning stikes have been in the Sims Mountain, Burnt Ranch, Underwood Mountain and Hennesee Ridge area. It seems to be concentrated in that region of Western Trinity country.
ReplyDeleteEel River Ernie, I do understand the sentiment of Bring It On....my dad would have been packed and headed out on the first onslaught.
That's natures way.
This post has proven to be prophetic. I will be stationed at the con-camp tomorrow for a ten hour shift as "Helitac crash / rescue". We need rain bad.
ReplyDeleteThey have called up any available volunteers to be on standby or in service. The state fire crews are spread too thin already. Apparently there are hundreds of fires all over California. The State crews were minimally trained when all of the California fires started popping up. Talk about trial by fire. On Job Training is not the best way to learn firefighting.
Saw a "fire map" on TV news this morning & it looks like all of northern California is on fire.
ReplyDeleteRead in the "Santa Rosa Press Democrat" that some people have been evacuated near Laytonville & Ukiah & that the Air Quality Board has recommended that people with repiratory problems leave the area completely. Sheriff Tom Allman in Mendocino Co. says the smoke may hang around for 30 days.