Wildfire potential, June through September

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The Predictive Services section at the National Interagency Fire Center has issued their Wildland Fire Potential Outlook for June through September. The data represents the cumulative forecasts of the eleven Geographic Area Predictive Services Units and the National Predictive Services Unit.

If their predictions are accurate, portions of California, Washington, Oregon, and Arizona will have expanding areas of above normal wildfire potential in June and July

Here are the highlights from their outlook.

June

wildfire June outlook

  • Moisture across the West has reduced the Above Normal areas to central California and southwestern Arizona.
  • Drier areas in the Northern Rockies, Northwest and the Southeast will begin to transition to Above Normal.
  • Above Normal conditions with continue in Alaska’s eastern Interior and most of Hawaii.
  • Below Normal fire potential covers much of the central U.S. after prolonged heavy rains.

July

wildfire July outlook

  • Above Normal fire potential will spread into the Northwest, the Northern Rockies and the Great Basin.
  • Above Normal fire potential will continue across central and southern California, southwestern Arizona, and spread into the Nevada Sierra Front. Hawaii will also remain in Above Normal potential.
  • Above Normal fire potential will expand through Georgia and the Carolinas while most of the central U.S. and Alaska will return to normal seasonal conditions.

August and September

wildfire August September outlook

  • Above Normal fire potential will continue across the Northwest, the Northern Rockies, the Great Basin and parts of central and southern California, and Hawaii.

And from NOAA and the USDA:

Drought Monitor US, May 26, 2015

 

Drought outlook, June, 2015

Wildfire smoke forecast for Canada

wildfire Smoke forecast Canada June 1
Wildfire smoke forecast for Canada on June 1.

smoke legend

The British Columbia government has a very interesting website that provides a forecast for wildfire smoke. The image above is for Monday, June 1, and the one below is for Wednesday, June 3.

wildfire Smoke forecast Canada June 3
Wildfire smoke forecast for Canada on June 3.

To see the most current smoke reports on Wildfire Today, visit the articles tagged “smoke” at https://wildfiretoday.com/tag/smoke/

Portions of western Canada could be in for a hot, dry summer

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western Canada summer weather

From CBCnews:

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“Predicting the weather may not always be an easy task, but meteorologists are beginning to agree B.C. is in for a long, hot summer. Pennsylvania-based AccuWeather released its forecast Thursday, agreeing with last week’s prediction from Environment Canada that, for large parts of B.C., the heat is on.

“Sea temperatures have been averaging two or three degrees above normal across the Eastern Pacific,” Brett Anderson, senior meteorologist with AccuWeather told CBC News.

“That’s going to have a warming influence on places such as Vancouver, Victoria and even placed further inland.”

Anderson says that the higher sea temperatures combined with the effects of El Niño will mean the south coast will be one to one-and-a-half degrees warmer, but things are likely to be more dramatic in the interior.

“It does look fairly dry though the summer and the wildfire threat will be fairly high, ” Anderson said.

Nevertheless, while the B.C. Wildfire Management Branch say they do monitor long-term forecasts, their operations are planned on a short-term basis.

“As of right now, we’re looking to the immediate future.” fire information officer Melissa Klassen told CBC News. “We can always call in other resources if activities pick up.”  “