Red Flag Warnings and Fire Weather Watches for enhanced wildfire danger have been issued by the National Weather Service for areas in Idaho, Montana, California, and Oregon. Dry lightning is in the forecast on Monday for northern California.
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The Red Flag Warning map above was current as of 9:40 a.m. MDT on Monday. Red Flag Warnings can change throughout the day as the National Weather Service offices around the country update and revise their forecasts. For the most current data, visit this NWS site.
The map below shows the distribution of wildfire smoke in the United States at 11:04 a.m. MDT August 19, 2013.
Below is the map of the northwest U.S. from Sunday, showing only dense smoke.
I was told by a former fire service co-worker who is working in an Expanded Ordering Unit for Region 5 that they are now experiencing some UTF’s for both Contractor and USFS Regulars for fire incidents. The next thought that comes to mind is: “What happens when this Region experiences a real lightning bust like 1877 or 1987?”
Well, I guess that would be Preparedness Level 5, wouldn’t it?
http://www.nifc.gov/nicc/mobguide/CHAPTER20.pdf
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Call next door; activate Qantas; try to pry some resources loose from Type 1 IMTs and put ’em back to work. Stuff like that.
My t-shirts from the 1877 fire season are starting to get a little thin.
National PL 5 is effective Tuesday, August 20.