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Very strong winds in the greater Black Hills area

Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories UncategorizedTags ,

Image above from the National Weather Service in Rapid City, @NWSRapidCity

It was very, very windy in northeast Wyoming and western South Dakota from Thursday afternoon through the early morning hours on Friday. The strongest gust measured was 83 mph near Buffalo in northwest South Dakota.

Sustained winds or frequent gusts of 74 mph or above qualify as “hurricane force”. In the chart above, 11 areas had gusts of 74 or more.

The National Weather Service has issued Red Flag Warnings for areas in Nebraska, Kansas, and Missouri today.

As of 1:30 p.m. MST on Friday, we have heard no reports of large wildfires in the last two days in the greater Black Hills region. There were a few of less than three acres. The strong winds are continuing Friday afternoon, as you can see in the map below, showing wind gusts in the greater Black Hills area in the hour ending at 1:44 p.m. MST February 19, 2016.

Wind Gusts Black Hills 144 pm CST 2-19-2016
Wind Gusts in western South Dakota and northeast Wyoming during the hour ending at 1:44 p.m. MST February 19, 2016.

Videos for 2016 wildland firefighter refresher training

Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories UncategorizedTags 2 Comments on Videos for 2016 wildland firefighter refresher training

(Updated March 17, 2016)

There are 12 videos on YouTube that are described as being part of the Wildland Fire Refresher training for 2016. Most but not all have WFSTAR in the title (we left it out below), which stands for Wildland Fire Safety Training Annual Refresher.

We embedded 11 of them here. (Added another one at the top of the list below, March 17, 2016.) It’s possible that some of these will not be part of the 2016 refresher and that others will be added. We’ll modify this list as we hear about the changes.

*“Unmanned Aircraft Systems”

*”2015 Season Summary”

*“Situation Awareness”

* “Crew Boss (Historical Film re-edit)”. We can’t find a detailed description, but this 11-minute film appears to be a much-shortened version of two films made in the 1940s, “Crew Boss Part 1” and “Crew Boss Part 2” which combined were 35 minutes long. It’s fun seeing what firefighting was like 70 years ago. Check out the semi-portable radio carried on the Crew Boss’ back at 1:55. That’s also when he says, “Leave the headlights on the truck, Johnny, I don’t think we’ll need them.” It was similar thinking that resulted in the El Cariso Hot Shots not having their fire shelters with them when 12 were killed after being overrun by flames on the 1966 Loop Fire in southern California.

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Red Flag Warnings in Nebraska, Kansas & Missouri

Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories UncategorizedTags

The National Weather Service has issued Red Flag Warnings for areas in Nebraska, Kansas, and Missouri.

Forecasters expect 15 to 25 mph west or northwest winds gusting up to 35 mph and relative humidities in the teens.

The map was current as of 9:25 a.m. MDT on Friday. 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.

Firefighters battled wildfires in Oklahoma on Thursday

Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories UncategorizedTags , 1 Comment on Firefighters battled wildfires in Oklahoma on Thursday

Firefighters battled numerous wildfires in Oklahoma on Thursday. Large blazes near Nuyaka and Cleveland forced residents from their homes.

wildfire smoke map Oklahoma
Satellite image of smoke from wildfires in Oklahoma at 5:07 p.m. CST February 18, 2016.
map fires in Oklahoma
The red dots represent heat from wildfires in Oklahoma detected by a satellite at 2:27 p.m. CST, February 18, 2016.

Red Flag Warnings for areas in seven states

Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories UncategorizedTags

The National Weather Service has issued Red Flag Warnings for areas in Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas, New Mexico, and Colorado.

In most of the designated areas the Warning is in effect from 11 a.m. until 7 p.m. CST on Thursday for strong winds, low humidities, dry fuels, and warmer than average temperatures.

The map was current as of 9:05 a.m. MDT on Thursday. 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.

California reservoirs still suffering from drought

Author Bill GabbertPosted on Categories UncategorizedTags , , , 1 Comment on California reservoirs still suffering from drought

Above: the status of the large reservoirs in California as of February 16, 2016, showing the current water levels and the historic average for the date. California Department of Water Resources.

In spite of significant rain over parts of California over the last six months all but one of 12 large reservoirs in the state are still storing water at levels below the historic average for the date. Folsom Lake has 117 percent of average while the other 11 have from 30 to 80 percent.

Precipitation predicted for Thursday in the Sierra Nevada Mountains should help a little, with some areas above 7,000 feet receiving a foot or more of snow.

snow Sierras 2-18-2016
Snow prediction Sierra Nevada Mountains, 0400 Feb. 17 through 1600 Feb. 18.

The photo below shows the extreme northern end of Trinity Lake on August 9, 2014 when it held about 40 percent of average. On February 16 of this year it was at 43 percent.

Trinity Lake drought
North end of Trinity Lake in northern California, August 9, 2014. Photo by Bill Gabbert.

It remains to be seen how the winter weather will affect the 2016 wildfire season. It is a factor of course, but more significant is the weather DURING the fire season. If it is hot, dry, and windy, there will be major fires.