RIM FIRE Forces New Closures at Yosemite National Park

UPDATED Sunday, 25 August 2013, 15:40 UTC

RIM FIRE forces the closures of two additional areas at YNP

The blaze had consumed at least 13,000 acres in the northwest corner of Yosemite by early Sunday, up 2,000 acres from previous day.

Park officials have closed parts of the YNP’s northwestern corner for the week, including the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir area, Lake Cherry and Lake Eleanor, according to reports.

The ferocious wildfire began on August 17 and has since been burning out of control, forcing Gov. Brown to declare a state of emergency in Tuolumne County on Thursday, and proclaim yet another state of emergency for the City and County of San Francisco late Friday.

The blaze had scorched  at least 133,980 acres (209 mi² or 542km²) as of Sunday, 25 August 2013, @ 14:30 UTC, with 7% containment, said USFS.

A Forest Closure is in effect for locations near and in advance of the fire. Evacuation advisories are still in effect for Tuolumne City and nearby areas along the Highway 108 corridor.

The Rim incident is expected to continue to exhibit very large fire growth due to extremely dry fuels and inaccessible terrain. Rapid fire growth and extreme fire behavior are hampering suppression efforts. [Inciweb]

For additional information see:

• State of Emergency Declared for SF due to RIM FIRE August 24, 2013
• RIM FIRE Crosses into Yosemite National Park August 24, 2013
• State of Emergency Declared as Calif. Wildfire Explodes August 23, 2013
• Large Wildfires in the West Burn Homes, Force More Evacuations August 21, 2013
• State of Emergency Declared in 31 Montana Counties due to Wildfires August 20, 2013
• Beaver Creek Fire Consumes 100,000 acres
• “Take Your Essentials Belongings and Pets and GO NOW” August 18, 2013

Smoke from Wildfires Covers Most of the Continental U.S.

Some 5 dozen major wildfires and scores of smaller fires are currently burning across the U.S., prompting air quality alerts in several areas.

Hazard Mapping System. Smoke Analysis Map. Source: OSDPD/NOAA

45,000 People Urged to Evacuate amid Japan ERE

Extreme Rain Events (ERE) Deluge Shimane Prefecture, W.  Japan

Record 470mm of rain has fallen in parts of Shimane Prefecture, western Japan, since Friday. The city of Gotsu received up to 80mm of rain per hour on Saturday, prompting the country’s weather agency (JMA) to urge tens of thousands of residents in the area to evacuate and “take immediate action to protect life.”

The record rainfall was more than twice the average for the whole of August. The rain is expected to reach 250 mm in a 24-hour period through Sunday in the Chugoku area and northern Kyushu, according to JMA.

Local authorities in Shimane and neighboring Yamaguchi Prefecture have urged more than 45,000 people to evacuate due to fear of landslides and overflowing rivers, said NHK.

The heavy rains have damaged the railroads facilities and toppled several buildings in the area.

“Part of a railway bridge was washed away in Kawamoto Town, Shimane, shutting down a route to neighboring Hiroshima Prefecture,” said NHK.

A nondescript photo posted on the NHK website to show the impact of of the extreme rain events in western Japan.

Some parts of the western Japan should expect about 80mm of rain per hour through Sunday, said JMA.