9:43 a.m. PDT Sept. 10, 2021
Lightning, strong winds, and showers moved into California, Nevada, and Oregon Thursday afternoon. Friday morning at about 7 a.m. the National Weather Service reported approximately 1,100 ground strikes had occurred in California.
Most of Northern California and Central Oregon received at least a small amount of rain. While some weather stations recorded none or less than 0.05″ others measured more than 0.25″.
All of the precipitation amounts below are for the 24-hour period ending at 7:10 a.m. PDT Sept. 10.
Maps of precipitation in California and Oregon–
The huge 928,000-acre Dixie Fire, which is 70 miles wide, had amounts ranging from zero to 0.55″.
With fuel moistures being historically low, it will be only a matter of days before most of these areas dry out and holdover fires ignited by lighting will be appearing. This is not enough rain to completely extinguish the existing fires. Where rain did reach the ground, spread of the fire in those locations will be slowed temporarily, but in the coming days or weeks, if there is no additional precipitation, they could be just as active as before. This respite from extreme fire behavior will give firefighters the opportunity to aggressively construct firelines directly on the fire’s edge, stopping the spread in those areas.
In Northwest California amounts on or near the River Fire were from zero to 0.43″. A rain gauge near the Antelope Fire had 0.36″. To the west of the Antelope Fire, the Lava Fire at Mt. Shasta which has been contained for weeks, had 0.40″.
The 218,000-acre Caldor Fire, which is 43 miles from east to west, had precipitation ranging from zero to 0.36″, with a tenth of an inch in the South Lake Tahoe area.
A forecast for the six-hour period ending at 11 a.m. Friday shows additional rain — more than half an inch in central Oregon.
In most areas the chances of lightning, thunderstorms, and rain will be decreasing throughout the day on Friday. The wind will be strong, gusting out of the southwest at more than 20 mph.
To MonitorMonkey: Love the name.
Two different news releases in AZ this past summer; another this summer on one of the CA fires.
Keep reading all the clips and you’ll see them here and there.
One of the releases stated “the fire was inaccessible and too rugged for jumpers.” Really? I’d leave that call to the jumpers, most of whom have more experience than 80-90% of the personnel on the ground.
It will be interesting, and perhaps “telling,” to see just how quickly the agencies jump on these new lightning starts, and whether or not they call for the under utilized smokejumpers on some, instead of telling us “they are too remote and in difficult terrain.
Being not a SJ
Who is putting out “too remote and in difficult terrain?”
That’s a big Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, right there
I would even dance for rain at this point.
Like I posted on another thread. Meteorologists haven’t quite 100% mastered the art of accurately predicting precipitation intensities. They got more rain than what they’d thought, huh?
Now there’s another system approaching. The next one could be wetter. That’s because fall is approaching. But I’m not predicting anything here so let’s keep praying for RAIN ! ! ! !
(2nd try; captcha thing)
Yes! It rained last night; enough to leave puddles of water! Hope it keeps raining.
Check the Alert Wildfire cams 12 hour loops in greater Tahoe; LPD mobile, Sierra at Tahoe, Hawkins peak. Then the Shasta area and B-utt lake too. Amazing video of the fire and then rains coming in.
Cross my fingers.
Stay safe Firefighters.
Yes! It actually rained last night and early am today!
Check out the AlertWildfire cameras on Sierra at Tahoe, LPD Mobile, Hawkins Peak in Sierra region and Butt Lake in the Shasta region from the past 12 hours fast loop, amazing how the rain helped to dampen the Caldor and Dixie fire.
Crossing my fingers.
Firefighters stay safe now.