News and opinion about wildland fire
One of the signs of spring is when the bison calves start appearing in Wind Cave National Park. Tuesday evening I found one of the new arrivals — part of a herd of about 20 cows. A few of them watched me closely as I took photos with my telephoto lens. I assume they are all very protective of the vulnerable little creatures.
And as a bonus, the sunset tonight was better than average.
OFS’s Area Command Team is managing statewide wildfires out of Oklahoma City.
Pictured from left to right: George Geissler, Director/Agency Administrator; Andy James, Fire Suppression & Operations; Tim Elder, Aviation Coordinator; Steve Creech, Fire Behavior Analyst; Mark Goeller, Area Commander; Ryan Baldrachi, GIS Specialist; Suzanne McCombs, Public Information Officer; Drew Daily, Fire Suppression & Operations; Melissa Yunas, Lead Public Information Officer.
The National Weather Service is upgrading their equipment to handle mixed-case letters.
Since forever the National Weather Service has issued their forecasts IN ALL CAPS. This was because the teletype, first patented in 1846, that they used in the early years could only handle capital letters. And being a government creature of habit all of their systems were configured for decades to that teletype standard. But in recent years the agency has been upgrading their equipment to a technology more advanced than the teletype.
With the use of the internet, most people now interpret ALL CAPS as yelling or screaming, or at least an indication that the content is extremely important. If everything you type is SCREAMED, that limits opportunities for escalation of importance.
We have ranted about this on several occasions, here, here, and here, at least. Our position has been that mixed case characters are easier to read. And, they make it more feasible to copy and paste into another document.
As an example, below is today’s fire weather forecast for an area 30 miles west of Augusta, Montana screaming about rain and snow:
A QUIET MORNING WILL GIVE WAY TO INCREASING CHANCES FOR SHOWERS/ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. EXPECT PERIODS OF LOWER ELEVATION RAIN AND MOUNTAIN SNOWS FROM WEDNESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY…WITH THU INTO FRI LOOKING TO BE THE BEST PERIOD FOR WETTER CONDITIONS. TEMPERATURES WILL BE MILD TODAY…THEN A GRADUAL COOLING TREND IS EXPECTED FOR THE SECOND HALF OF THE WORK WEEK.
Three forecast products will transition to mixed-case use on May 11, including area forecast discussions, public information statements and regional weather summaries. Severe weather warnings will transition this summer, with other forecasts and warnings transitioning to the new system through early next year.
Thanks and a tip of the hat go out to Kelly and Tristan.
Last week personnel from the National Park Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service conducted seven prescribed fires totaling 1,770 acres at Tall Grass Prairie National Preserve in Kansas. These photos are provided by the NPS.
The fire is burning between the Main Park Road and the Nike Missile Base.
The Long Pine Key Fire, which started on April 10, has burned about 4,709 acres in Everglades National Park in south Florida. It started near Long Pine Key Campground and with 20 mph winds quickly spread through pine rocklands and prairies south of the Main Park Road. It has threatened several park resources and structures and reduced visibility on roads.
A portion of the fire is burning in an area recently treated with a prescribed fire. The reduction in fuels benefits firefighters, making the fire easier to control.
As of April 12, the Main Park Road is open. There is a 2-mile section of the Main Park Road towards Flamingo where cars are being escorted by Law Enforcement rangers. Royal Palm and Flamingo Visitor Centers are open. Research Road and the Nike Missile Base remain closed.
The National Weather service has posted Red Flag Warnings for areas in South Dakota, Nebraska, Minnesota, and Iowa. The warning is in effect this afternoon into the very early evening. Forecasters expect southwest winds of 20 to 35 mph and minimum relative humidity values close to 25 percent.
The maps were current as of 9:45 a.m. MDT on Tuesday. Red Flag Warnings can change throughout the day as the National Weather Service offices around the country update and revise their forecasts and maps. For the most current data visit this NWS site.
