(Originally published at 1:33 p.m. MDT September 11, 2017)
Jeff Zimmerman took these photos September 10 and sent them to us today. Here is how he described the event.
From the deserts to the sea, a wonderful display of lightning. Off the coast near Avalon where hundreds of strikes were recorded with numerous strikes all the way to Tehachapi Mountains. Tejon Ranch and Highway 58 area was bathed in lightning too. A new fire was reported on the Los Padres National Forest, lightning strike near Chuchapate (Sawmill). Possibly a few more isolated storms today, followed by gusty NW winds later this week. The first Santa Ana may set up when snow comes to Montana and offshore flow begins later this week bringing critical fire weather with it. Attached are a few shots from the desert in Neenach, CA (map).
Today there are 71 large uncontained wildfires in the United States.
Above: the red and orange dots on the map represent heat on wildfires detected by a satellite in the 24 hours before 7:30 a.m. MDT September 11, 2017. Heat found before that is not shown.
(Originally published at 7:45 a.m. MDT September 11, 2017)
In spite of the hurricanes impacting the southeast United States, the wildfires in the Cascade Range and the Northern Rockies persevere in Montana, Idaho, Oregon, Washington, and Northern California.
Off and on over the last week they have slowed as clouds and even some scattered very light showers passed over the areas, but the National Interagency Fire Center reported today there are 71 active large fires, 32 that are being suppressed and 39 that are being suppressed only where needed to protect property.
So far this year 8.2 million acres have burned in the United States, which is 46 percent higher than the 5.6 million average to this date.
Red Flag Warning for Northwest Montana, September 11, 2017. There is a Fire Weather Watch due to “abundant lightning on dry fuels” predicted Tuesday afternoon for areas in northern California and south-central Oregon.
The weather for Monday and Tuesday could be conducive to fire growth, especially in Northwest Montana where a Red Flag Warning is in effect Monday. But Wednesday through Saturday will bring a chance of rain to Idaho and Western Montana, while the forecast for Northern California, Oregon, and Washington looks dry this week.
Weather forecast for Wednesday September 13, 2017. Weather.com
Above: The map shows the distribution of smoke from wildfires at 3:54 p.m. MDT September 10, 2017.
(Originally published at 5:45 p.m. MDT September 10, 2017)
The map above shows the distribution of wildfire smoke Sunday afternoon. Below are two different forecasts for Monday.
This a forecast for the distribution of smoke from wildfires at 5 p.m. MDT September 11, 2017. NOAA.This a forecast for the distribution of smoke from wildfires at 1 p.m. MDT September 11, 2017. (Good luck figuring out the nine shades of red in the legend.) BlueSky.
Mapping flights the last two days were cancelled due to low clouds.
A helicopter carries water from the Columbia River to the Eagle Creek Fire September 8, 2017. Inciweb photo.
The growth of the Eagle Creek wildfire burning along the Columbia River in northern Oregon 11 miles northeast of Gresham has slowed during the last two days due to cooler and more humid weather. On Friday the relative humidity at Cascade Locks never got below 64 percent. A couple of weather stations just south of the fire recorded small amounts of rain early Saturday morning.
The forecast for calls for a 17 to 30 percent chance of showers through Saturday night, but warmer and drier conditions will prevail Sunday through Tuesday.
Strong winds out of the west at 15 gusting to 25 mph are expected Saturday, but the humidity will remain above 90 percent.
The information below is from the Incident Management Team at about 11 a.m. PDT September 9:
Winds shifted Friday, blowing predominantly upriver out of the west and increasing fire activity to the east. Two new Level 1 (Ready) Evacuation Notices were issued by the Hood River Sheriff’s Department for portions of Hood River County on Friday afternoon.
Firefighters performed a strategic burnout near Cascade Locks to protected endangered residential and commercial structures. They continued to work along Interstate 84 and Hwy 30 using heavy equipment to strengthen firelines and protect structures, avoiding sensitive areas like fish hatcheries. Helicopters were dipping water out of the Columbia River to assist firefighters working south of the Interstate. Helicopters also provided assistance to crews working to contain the Archer Fire in Washington. Overnight, Oregon State Fire Marshall (OSFM) structure protection crews continued to mop up along I-84 and in Corbett while burnout operations were held on the east end. Due to increased moisture in the air and no substantial wind, the fire perimeter remained mostly unchanged overnight.
Weather conditions are expected to be favorable for firefighting activities today with lower temperatures, higher humidity and lighter winds. Activities today will emphasize protecting structures along Interstate 84 and Hwy 30.
OSFM crews will continue to support burnout operations. They will be completing patrols to extinguish hot spots to the east and maintain containment lines in Cascade Locks. All aircraft are available for use today. Firefighters will be scouting on the eastern side of the fire in Hood River County for natural barriers like roads and trails to create a line of defense for homes the in that area. Preparations are underway for a strategic burnout to protect the community of Corbett on the fire’s western edge, however that burnout may be delayed due to the moist conditions expected today. All firefighting efforts are aimed at restoring normal activities along the Columbia River and the Interstate 84/Hwy 30 corridor.
While today’s weather is giving firefighters a bit of breathing room, conditions in upcoming days will revert to drier, windier conditions. As always firefighter and public safety are the primary objective while fighting the Eagle Creek Fire.
Resources Assigned: 4 Type 1 (Hotshot) crews, 11 Type 2 crews and 5 Type 2 Initial Attack Crews; 104 Engines; 12 helicopters; 987 Personnel
Teams of fire, structural, and law enforcement personnel have completed an evaluation of the structures that were affected by the Uintah Fire that started September 9 southeast of Ogden, Utah near the community of Uintah.
Their findings:
3 Homes destroyed
2 Homes damaged
1 Mixed commercial property damaged
8 Other structures damaged (sheds, outbuildings etc.)
4 Other structures destroyed (sheds, outbuildings etc.)
Total: 18 destroyed or damaged structures
Strong down canyon winds pushed the fire rapidly to the west, burning into a residential area and along the Interstate 84 corridor.
Many homes, however, were saved, as you can see in the videos below:
A quick video to show how close the #UintahFire came to homes. Grateful for amazing service men & women. Prayers to those who lost homes. pic.twitter.com/zF47dHD2Cn
— Weber County (@WeberCounty) September 6, 2017
On Friday the Weber Fire district reported that there were some remaining hot spots, it was 85 percent contained, and still assigned to the fire were 10 engines and a total of 50 personnel.
