Fuels and fire behavior advisories

Five geographic areas have released updated fuels and fire behavior advisories: Northwest, Northern Rockies, Rocky Mountain, Western Great Basin, and northern California.

Wildfire potential

The Predictive Services section at the National Interagency Fire Center has issued their National Wildland Fire Potential Outlook for October, 2012 through January, 2013. If it is correct, Minnesota, the northwest, and portions of California and Iowa will be active in October. After that, it’s southern California.

Here is an excerpt from the NIFC report:

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Significant Fire Potential

• For October above normal significant fire potential is predicted across the northwestern quarter of the U.S. including portions of Washington, Oregon, Idaho and California. Above normal significant fire potential also exists across portions of the upper Midwest. The mountains and foothills of central and Southern California will also experience above normal significant fire potential. Portions of the Hawaiian Islands continue to see elevated significant fire potential as well.
• The southeastern U.S. will continue to see periodic precipitation events and reduced significant fire potential.
• The rest of the country will have normal significant fire potential.
• As the fall leaf drop season develops the potential exists for a return to above normal significant fire potential across portions of the Appalachian Mountains.
• Also during mid-October through early November Southern California will likely experience periodic off shore flow events leading to elevated significant fire potential.