Califirenia — Major wildfires continue destroying homes, businesses

California plagued by most destructive, deadly wildfires

Camp Fire, a fast moving wildfire burning about 140 km north of Sacramento, has destroyed the town of Paradise, razing up to 6,800 homes and businesses, killing at least nine people and forcing tens of thousands to flee their homes.

At least 35 people are reported missing and three firefighters have been injured.

Camp Fire
Camp Fire Incident Information:
Last Updated: November 09, 2018 7:46 pm
Date/Time Started: November 08, 2018 6:33 am
Administrative Unit: CAL FIRE/ Butte County Fire, Butte County Sheriff and Paradise P.D.
County: Butte County
Location: Pulga Road at Camp Creek Road near Jarbo Gap
Acres Burned – Containment: 90,000 acres – 5% contained
Structures Threatened: 15,000
Structures Destroyed: 6,453 residences, 260 commercial
Evacuations: View the latest Incident Update for current information on evacuations and road closures.

Evacuation centers: See http://fire.ca.gov/current_incidents/incidentdetails/Index/2277

Woolsey Fire

In SoCal, Woolsey Fire, fanned by 80 km/h  Santa Ana winds, threatens 75,000 homes in Los Angeles county, putting about 220,000 people under mandatory evacuation as of Saturday morning. The fire has destroyed at least 150 buildings.

“Fire is now burning out of control and heading into populated areas of Malibu… All residents must evacuate immediately.” the city officials said on their website.

The fire was racing toward  multi-million dollar homes in Malibu, forcing hundreds of thousands people, including 93,000 in Ventura County, to abandon their homes.

#WoolseyFire *UPDATE* Approx. 35,000 acres, 0% contained, very significant number of homes in the operational area damaged or destroyed by fire. More than 200,000 residents and 75,000 homes under mandatory evacuation. 0700 @CAL_FIRE type 1 IMT 5 will assume command of this fire. pic.twitter.com/Iiz7m15ZWm

— LACounty Fire PIO (@LACoFDPIO) November 10, 2018

Related Links

• Northern California Wildfire Destroys Town, Forces Thousands to Flee

 

 

Two Towns Evacuated as Wine Country Fires Explode; 29 Dead; 460+ Missing; 3,500+ Buildings Razed

Updated: 2:50 pm PDT

21 Wildfires have burned more than 191,000 acres in Calif.

ALL residents of Calistoga and Geyserville were ordered to abandon their homes.

Emergency Declarations have been proclaimed by the state governor for Napa, Sonoma, Yuba, Butte, Lake, Mendocino, Nevada, Orange and Solano counties.
At least 29 people are confirmed to have died in N. California wildfires this week, with 285 others reported as missing.

The ferocious fires have destroyed an estimated 3,500 homes and businesses, and charred more than 191,500 acres (~ 77,500 hectares).

The wildfires have also destroyed or substantially damaged at least 13 Napa Valley wineries, and razed entire neighborhoods, with an estimated  total of 2,834 homes, in the city of Santa Rosa.

Tens of thousands have evacuated their homes, including 25,000 people in Sonoma County alone, while 8,000+ personnel are trying to contain the fires.

Red Flag Warnings have been issued for much of Northern California due to gusty winds and low humidity starting today. While these winds may hamper the efforts of firefighters, they will also increase the risk for new wildfires. [Cal Fire]

“We’re not going to be out of the woods for a great many days to come,” said Cal Fire director.

“We’ve had big fires in the past,” said Gov. Brown. “This is one of the biggest.”

Wildfires Leave Santa Rosa, Calif. Looking Like Aleppo, Syria

Toll from N. California’s ferocious wildfires continued to grow

As of Tuesday evening (PDT) the fires had destroyed 2,000 structures and killed at least 17 people, with more than 170 other reported as missing.

• Eleven of the fatalities, and the missing reports are from Sonoma County.
• Large sections of the city of Santa Rosa have been razed by the Tubbs fire, making it look like the war-stricken city of Aleppo in Syria.
• At least six more fatalities have been reported in Napa, Mendocino, and Yuba Counties, Cal Fire said.

The two largest fires, the Tubbs fire and the Atlas Peak fire in Napa County, have consumed  27,000 and 25,000 acres, respectively, Cal Fire reported.

About 30,000 people are under mandatory evacuation orders.

Orange County firestorm destroys 24 structures, consumes 7,500 acres

The Canyon 2 fire has forced the officials to evacuate more than 5,000 residences in three cities, and close down at least 9 schools.

California Statewide Fire Summary

Tuesday, October 10, 2017 PDT [CAL FIRE]

“17 large wildfires that started in the past 24 hours continue to burn across California and have burned over 115,000 acres. The winds that fanned these fires Sunday night and Monday morning have decreased significantly, but local winds and dry conditions continue to pose a challenge. With the decrease in the winds combined with cooler weather, firefighters made good progress overnight. Sheriff officials have confirmed that 11 people have died as a result of the wildfires in Sonoma, Mendocino, Napa and Yuba counties. These fires have already burned an estimated 1,500 homes and commercial structures. Several Damage Assessment Teams have been deployed to get a full account of the destruction.

“Yesterday Governor Brown declared a State of Emergency in Napa, Sonoma, and Yuba Counties, as well as a State of Emergency in Butte, Lake, Mendocino, Nevada and Orange counties.

“Red Flag Warnings in Southern California due to gusty winds and high fire risk remain in place, but are expected to end later this morning. The warnings in Northern California have all ended, but breezy and dry conditions remain.”

Read more…

BC Wildfires Spark Evacuation Order, State of Emergency near Fort St. John

10,000-Hectare Beaton Airport Road wildfire continues growing near Fort St. John

A State of Emergency and an Evacuation Order have been for areas near the Alaska Highway in northeastern British Columbia as intense wildfires continue spread in the area.

The Peace River Regional District says the order is in effect for the Mile 80 area of the Alaska Highway, near Stoddard Road, and the Shepherds Inn area.

Anyone in those areas must leave immediately and register at the North Peace Arena reception center in Fort St John.

There are also several evacuation alerts in the area — meaning residents should be prepared to leave on short notice.

• Evacuation order has been issued
• Evacuation alerts

State of emergency

Officials in British Columbia’s Peace River Regional District have declared a state of emergency because of the raging wildfires near Fort St. John.  [CBC]

“The state of emergency was issued for the Electoral Area B region, an 86,000 square kilometre area that encompasses several towns and First Nations reserves in northeastern B.C.”

Forest Fires Plague SW Europe amid Record Temperatures

Iberia turned into a tinderbox

Thousands evacuated in Spain amid raging wildfires in the west and southeast of the country.

Meanwhile, about 80% of neighboring Portugal is facing severe or extreme drought conditions, according to the local climatologists.

Copyright © Instituto Português do Mar e da Atmosfera 2012 2015. See blog Fair Use Notice for educational purposes.

Meteorologists expect the temperature in southern Germany to break all-time high of 40.3C (105F) on Friday, a record that was set just over a month ago on 5 July in the town of Kitzingen in Bavaria, said a report.

France’s weather agency issued Extreme Heat Warnings for central and eastern France Friday, forecasting temperatures of up to 40C in many regions.

“This summer has been a particularly hot one for France and left many areas in drought and with water restrictions imposed,” said a report.

Federal Disaster Declared in Washington

EXTREME WEATHER & CLIMATIC EVENTS
MAJOR DISASTERS
DESTRUCTIVE WILDFIRES
FEDERAL DISASTER DECLARED
SCENARIOS 444, 111, 101, 023
.

Major Disaster Declared for Washington State

The White House has declared a major disaster exists in the State of Washington and ordered federal aid to supplement state, tribal, and local recovery efforts in the area affected by wildfires during the period of July 9 to August 5, 2014.

The worst affected  areas are the county of Okanogan and the Confederated Tribes of Colville Reservation.

Damage surveys are continuing in other areas, and additional counties may be designated for assistance after the assessments are fully completed said FEMA.

Latest Federal Disaster Declarations

• Major Disaster Declared for Iowa August 7, 2014
• Federal Disaster Declared in Minnesota July 23, 2014
• Federal Disaster Declared for Iowa  July 16, 2014
• Federal Disaster Declared for New York July 11, 2014
• Federal Disasters
• Drought
• Agricultural Disasters Index

Thousands Evacuated due to Bushfires in NSW

Bushfires threaten Sydney’s western suburbs

Wildfires destroy homes, injure fire crews and force mass evacuations in west Sydney.

At least 59 bush and grassfires are raging across New South Wales (NSW), including 40 uncontained blazes, with more than 500 firefighters and 200 fire engines on the ground, said NSW Premier.

The fires have forced the authorities to  evacuate scores of homes and a University of Western Sydney (UWS) campus following a power outage that affected the entire Richmond area.

Additionally, more than 300 students from St Paul’s Grammar School In Castlereagh were evacuated to Penrith’s Whitewater Park after an emergency warning was issued for a fire threatening properties on nearby Devlin Street, said a report.

Intense heat from a wildfire sets a truck on fire near Londonderry Road, West Sydney. Photo credit: Nick Moir/ via the Age.

The heat was so intense firefighters were forced to abandon their trucks when they became surrounded by bushfires in Sydney’s western suburbs, said a report.

The bushfire season has come early to Sydney area, with out-of-control fires devouring the city’s west, reports said.

RIM FIRE Burns Nearly 1,000 Km²

RIM FIRE forces more closures in the Stanislaus National Forest

Resembling a war zone, RIM FIRE wildfire had consumed at least 235,841 acres (955km², or 368.50mi²) by September 2, 2013 18:30 PDT.

The Stanislaus National Forest Closure Order for the Rim Fire area has been expanded along the northern end of the fire’s edge, said USFS.

Highway 120 at the Yosemite National Park boundary west to Buck Meadows has been evacuated.

Smoke from the Rim Fire has settled into Yosemite Valley, Wawona, Foresta and other areas, causing air quality impacts. This will persist for the next few days, particularly in the morning hours.

RIM FIRE Fuels Ignite, 9/1/2013. Credit: USFS/ Mike McMillan

Rim Fire Incident Information

• Last Updated: September 2, 2013 18:30 PDT
• Date/Time Started: August 17, 2013 3:25 pm
• Location: 3 miles east of Groveland along Hwy 120
• County: Tuolumne County
• Administrative Unit: Stanislaus National Forest / CAL FIRE Tuolumne-Calaveras Unit
• Acres Burned – Containment: 235,841 acres – 70% contained
• Injuries: 5
• Structures Threatened: 5,506 (4,500 residences, 1,000 outbuildings, 6 commercial
• Structures Destroyed: 111 (11 residences, 97 outbuildings, 3 commercial) – [NOT updated. Editor]
• Cause: Under Investigation

RIM FIRE – Flames Sweep Up Red Pine Tree, 9/1/2013. Credit: USFS/ Mike McMillan

Evacuations

• Highway 120 at the Yosemite National Park boundary west to Buck Meadows has been evacuated. Evacuation centers are at the Mother Lode Fairgrounds in Sonora and at the Greeley Hill Community Center.
• An evacuation advisory remains in effect for Ponderosa Hills and areas east, along the south side of Highway 108 up to Pinecrest.

Road and Forest Closures

• Highway 120 remains closed from Buck Meadows to 1 ½ miles east of White Wolf. Highway 120 east/Tioga Road remains open from 1 ½
• Yosemite National Park has closed Tamarack Flat and Yosemite Creek Campgrounds, both located along Tioga Road. White Wolf Campground and White Wolf Lodge remain closed. The Stanislaus National Forest has issued an area closure for the entire Groveland Ranger District and for the Mi-Wok Ranger District east of Highway 108.

Fire Dept Stats

• Total Fire Personnel: 4,330
• Total Fire Engines: 255
• Total Fire crews: 120
• Total Helicopters: 14
• Total Dozers: 72
• Total Water Tenders: 54

Related Links and Background Info

• Air Quality Alert due to Rim FIRE  September 1, 2013
• RIM FIRE Now 4th Largest Wildfire in California History September 1, 2013
• RIM FIRE Forces New Closures at Yosemite National Park August 25, 2013
• RIM FIRE Crosses into Yosemite National Park August 24, 2013

State of Emergency Declared in 31 Montana Counties due to Wildfires

Explosive wildfires prompt state of emergency declaration in Montana

Gov Bullock has issued an executive order declaring a state of emergency in 31 Montana counties, enabling the state to tap the Montana National Guard for helicopters, personnel and other resources.

“To the extent that we need to, we can call on the National Guard to use their assets — their air assets and individuals to help out on state fires,” Bullock said. “First and foremost, we need to ensure individuals are safe, that firefighters are safe. We can figure out the cost of resources later.”

Hundreds under evacuation order as Lolo Complex wildfire spreads

West Fork Fire approx 10 miles west of Lolo, Missoula, MT. August 20, 2013. Credit: Lolo National Forest/USFS.

West Fork Fire approx 10 miles west of Lolo, Missoula, MT. August 20, 2013. Credit: Lolo National Forest/USFS.

Sparked by lightning on August 19, the ferocious Lolo Creek Complex Wildfire has grown explosively consuming more than 5,000 acres, destroying at least 8 structures, prompting hundreds of evacuations and threatening to join the Schoolhouse fire.

“This is a troubling fire for a number of reasons,” said Montana State Forester Bob Harrington. “All along this canyon, along with the side canyons, we have hundreds of homes, as well as the commercial districts in the town of Lolo. This is very problematic.”

U.S. Weather Hazard Map

Red Flag Warnings, other Warnings, Watches and Advisories for August 20, 2013. Source: NWS. Map enhanced by FIRE-EARTH.

Wildfires Prompt Evacuations in CA, MT

Hundreds evacuated as wildfires threaten dozens of homes in Calif. and Mont.

A raging wildfire in rural Riverside County has forced the evacuation of dozens of  homes.

The fast moving blaze broke out Monday p.m. in the community of Mountain Center between Palm Springs and Hemet, and devoured 1,000 acres within hours, damaging or destroying a number of structures.

The blaze was 5 percent contained, as of posting, with more than 400 state and federal fire crews at the scene.

Mandatory evacuations have been issued for the community of Bonita Vista,  Fleming Ranch and a nearby animal sanctuary, said a report.

-oOo-

West Mullan Fire, Superior, Mont.

Mandatory evacuations are in place for dozens of homed in the Flat Creek and Pardee Creek areas, reported Inciweb.

The so-called West Mullan Fire  started near Interstate 90 about two miles northwest of Superior Sunday p.m. and quickly spread to more than 700 acres in less than 24 hrs.

Thick smoke has resulted in limited visibility in Superior and along Interstate 90 in the area, said a report.

“The fire’s hitting Superior hard. The smoke is so thick in Superior, health officials closed the pool and are now urging people to stay indoors.”

Heat wave over the East will expand into the Plains by the middle of the week: NWS

A large subtropical dome of hot air will expand across the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic and to the Midwest this week bringing a long duration heat wave to the area. Temperatures will soar through the 90s with heat indices well over 100 degrees. 

A large mid-level ridge centered over the Ohio Valley is responsible for the
heat wave currently across the east, and the ridge is forecast to expand westward through Wednesday. This will have the effect of increasing high temperatures past the 90 degree mark throughout most of the central and northern Plains by Wednesday.

US Weather Hazards Map – July 16, 2013. Source: NWS

NE Storm Forecast to Hit NY-NJ Region

DISASTER CALENDAR SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,222 Days Left 

[November 6, 2012] Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016.

• SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,222 Days Left to the ‘Worst Day’ in Human History
• Symbolic countdown to the ‘worst day’ in human history began on May 15, 2011 ...

.

Global Disasters/ Significant Events

New storm projected to pass near NJ disaster coastline Wednesday

Mandatory evacuation order has been issued for low lying areas in Brick Township, N.J.

A nor’easter is expected to bring winds of 60-70 mph, several  inches of rain, which would trigger flooding along the coast line, and 4-6 inches of snow to Pennsylvania and New York, forecasters said.

U.S. Weather Hazards Map (Nov. 6, 2012)

“Prepare for more outages!” NWS has warned residents in the region. “Stay indoors. Stock up again.”

• SANDY  claimed more than 100 lives in 10 states.
• About 1.5 million customers in New York state and NJ are still without power, a week after the storm.
• More than 34,000 of the residents displaced by SANDY are currently housed in hotels and motels in the two states.

NSW, Australia

• Three local government areas in NWS, Australia have been declared natural disaster zones following a massive fire that has been raging in northern NSW for two weeks, reports said.
  • The 51,000-hectare blaze has consumed large swaths of national parks, state forests and private land across Armidale Dumaresq, Walcha and Kempsey, said a report.

Rhode Island, USA.

The Disaster President has declared a major disaster exists in the State of Rhode Island in the area affected by Hurricane Sandy during the period of October 26-31, 2012

Utah, USA

The Disaster President has declared a major disaster exists in the State of Utah in the area affected by a severe storm and flooding on September 11, 2012.

Related Links

• United States: The First Phase of Collapse Has Begun October 31, 2012
• WARNING: The United States is now one major disaster away from the onset of large scale collapse! October 18, 2012
• Global Disasters Continue Intensifying October 30, 2012
• Nature Upgrading Her Forces into Quasi-exotic Weapons? October 29, 2012
• Hurricane SANDY Could Become a Super Storm  October 27, 2012
• Hurricane SANDY Causes Much Destruction in Cuba  October 26, 2012

The Big Smoke

DISASTER CALENDAR SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,270 Days Left

[September 23, 2012] Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016. 

• SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,270 Days Left to the ‘Worst Day’ in Human History

• Symbolic countdown to the ‘worst day’ in human history began on May 15, 2011 ...

.

Global Disasters/ Significant Events

U.S. Wildfires Prompt Air Quality Alerts

Hundreds of wildfires across the Midwest, Northwestern and Southern U.S. prompt Red Flag Warnings, air quality alerts and more evacuation orders.

Current Hazard Mapping System Fire and Smoke Analysis – NOAA/NESDIS

Map of Analyzed Fires from Satellite Data – NESDIS

See also Washington state health provides thousands of respirators as Wildfire smoke worsens

Other Disasters

• Alabama, USA. The White House has declared a major disaster exists in the State of Alabama following the damage caused by Hurricane Isaac during the period of August 26 to September 5, 2012.

Related Links

• Massive Wildfires Raging in Washington Threaten to Merge into ‘Monster Blaze’ Posted September 22, 2012

Global Disasters: Links, Forecasts and Background

• The First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities
• Back to the Primordial Future
• The Fate of Energy Dinosaurs
• Mass Die-offs

• 2010 Disasters [Links to 2010 Disaster Calendar]
• Mega Disasters
• 2011 Disaster Calendar
• 2012 Disaster Calendar

GLOBAL WARNING

• WARNING: Human impact 2.85 x Earth’s diminishing carrying capacity
• WARNING: RAPID DECLINE IN PROGRESS!

Large Wildfires Across West 7 Times More Common Than 40 Yrs Ago

DISASTER CALENDAR SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,274 Days Left

[September 19, 2012] Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016. 

• SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,274 Days Left to the ‘Worst Day’ in Human History

• Symbolic countdown to the ‘worst day’ in human history began on May 15, 2011...

.

Global Disasters/ Significant Events

Average temperatures in U.S. West up 3°F as fire season grows 75 days

Western wildfires exceeding 10,000 acres have grown in frequency seven times compared with the 1970s, according to a new report, The Age of Western Wildfires.

Years of fire suppression “may have left the forests of the West particularly vulnerable to big fires,” however, “rising spring and summer temperatures, along with shrinking winter snowpack, have increased the risk of wildfires in most parts of the West,” the report said.

The report highlights based on analysis of 42 years of U.S. Forest Service records for 11 Western states show, compared to the average year in the 1970’s, in the past decade there were:

• 7 times more fires greater than 10,000 acres each year
• About 5 times more fires larger than 25,000 acres each year
• Twice as many fires larger than 1,000 acres each year, with an average of more than 100 per year between 2002 and 2011, compared with less than 50 during the 1970’s
• The burn season is 75 days longer than 40 years ago.
• Wildfires burn twice as much land area compared with 40 years ago.
• Annual average number of fires larger than 1,000 acres has almost quadrupled in Arizona and Idaho, and has doubled in California, Colorado, Montana, New Mexico, Nevada, Oregon, Utah and Wyoming.
• Full Report (PDF)

Global Disasters: Links, Forecasts and Background

• The First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities
• Back to the Primordial Future
• The Fate of Energy Dinosaurs
• Mass Die-offs

• 2010 Disasters [Links to 2010 Disaster Calendar]
• Mega Disasters
• 2011 Disaster Calendar
• 2012 Disaster Calendar

GLOBAL WARNING

• WARNING: Human impact 2.85 x Earth’s diminishing carrying capacity
• WARNING: RAPID DECLINE IN PROGRESS!

Wildfires Burning Another Million Acres Across 7 States

Major wildfires raging in California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nebraska and Wyoming

Active wildfires are consuming more than a million acres across the West and Midwest, forcing thousands to evacuate.

• Red Flag Warnings are in effect in parts of the Dakotas, Idaho, Montana, Nebraska, and Wyoming.

• Oregon. USDA has designated seven counties in Oregon as primary and contiguous disaster areas due to damages and losses caused by wildfires that began July 8 and continue. The disaster declaration extends to counties in the adjacent states:
  • Idaho.  Four counties.
  • Nevada. Two counties.

U.S. Weather Outlook

• ‘High temperatures in the upper 90s to around 100 degrees with heat index values approaching 110 degrees are expected from the Plains of southeast Kansas and eastern Oklahoma into the Lower Mississippi River Valley on Monday afternoon.’  NWS forecast.
  • ‘Tropical moisture associated with the remnants of Isaac interacting with a frontal system will bring a flash flooding threat to the East Coast on Tuesday. Showers and thunderstorms will be capable of producing heavy rainfall that could lead to incidents of flash flooding.’

Other Global Disasters/ Significant Events

• United States.  Hurricane ISAAC caused “enormous devastation” to the Gulf  Coast, especially the state of Louisiana, officials said.
  • The storm killed at least seven people—5 in New Orleans and 2 in Mississippi.
  • Thousands  of evacuees are still in shelters, or with friends and relatives.
  • ISAAC knocked out power to about a million people in 5 states—Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.

• Korean Peninsula.   Death toll from Typhoon BOLAVEN has climbed to about 100 across the Korean Peninsula, with many more injured. Dozens of others are reported as missing.
  • The storm destroyed or damaged thousands of homes, and more than 50,000 hectares of farmland, leaving at least 20,000 people homeless, reports said.

• India.  Rainfall from the annual monsoon season is down an average of 12 percent across India, as the country enters its fourth drought in just over a decade.
  • Some villages in the worst hit drought areas are reportedly on the brink of disaster, reports said.

Related Links

• U.S. Disaster Impact Leaps 24 Folds Posted August 1, 2012
• Disaster Declared for 142 U.S. Counties Posted August 23, 2012

Drought – Recent Links

• U.S. Disaster Areas Expand as Drought Deepens Posted August 1, 2012
• Extreme and Exceptional Drought Spread Across Midwest, South Posted August 2, 2012
• Wildfires Destroy Oklahoma Town Posted August 5, 2012

• Watching Events Unfold, Frame by Frame, Exactly as Forecast Posted July 20, 2012
• Deadly Heat Continues to Devour U.S. Crops Posted July 19, 2012

• Drought Continues to Plague Two-Thirds of Continental U.S. Posted July 17, 2012
• Largest Ever U.S. Disaster Continues Unfolding July 14, 2012
• Drought 2012 Posted on January 8, 2012
• Drought and deluge 

Global Disasters: Links, Forecasts and Background

• The First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities
• Back to the Primordial Future
• The Fate of Energy Dinosaurs
• Mass Die-offs

• 2010 Disasters [Links to 2010 Disaster Calendar]
• Mega Disasters
• 2011 Disaster Calendar
• 2012 Disaster Calendar

Global Warning

• WARNING: Human impact 2.85 x Earth’s diminishing carrying capacity
• WARNING: RAPID DECLINE IN PROGRESS!

Wildfires Consume 120,000 Acres in Nebraska

Red Flag Warnings, Excessive Heat Warnings and Heat Advisories are in effect from Kansas and Nebraska to Indiana

Another round of triple digit temperatures affect the central Plains, as National Weather Service warns  about the extreme conditions.

Temperatures are forecast to be 10-15 degrees above average in the central Plains and the Mid-Atlantic, as three wildfires consume at least 120,000 acres in Nebraska, destroying a dozen homes.

U.S. Daily Highest Max Temperature Records set on July 24, 2012

Source: National Climatic Data Center

• Excess Heat Warnings are in effect for all or parts of 7 states Nebraska, Kansas, Iowa, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana and Kentucky.
• Heat Advisories are in effect for 14 states:  South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Iowa, Missouri, Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina.
• Red Flag Warnings are in effect for parts of Montana, Nebraska and Kansas.

At least 24 high temperature records were broken and 34 tied in a dozen states Monday: Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, South Dakota, Texas and Wisconsin, NCDC reported.

“The highest temperature readings of the day were reported at 109 degrees in Minneapolis, Kan., and Hebronville, Texas, tying previous records set in 2001 and 2009, respectively,” said NWS.

Other Global Disasters/ Significant Events

• Greenland. Greenland’s massive ice sheet has thawed over an unusually large area, NASA has said.
  • The thawed area jumped from 40% of the ice sheet to 97% between   July 8 -11.
  • NASA scientists say they are ‘surprised‘ by the speed and scale of  this month’s thaw,  describing the phenomenon as ‘extraordinary.’
  • See also: Thought for the Day: A 2009 Forecast

• Missouri. Gov. Nixon has declared a state of emergency due to the impact of continued severe heat and drought on agriculture and public health.
  • “Our farmers are suffering tremendous losses in crops and livestock, and we’re seeing more heat-related deaths and emergency room visits, particularly among seniors.” Nixon said. “In addition, we continue to see a high risk of fire from tinderbox conditions, and we are monitoring how the drought is affecting public water supplies and distribution.”
  • The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services has reported 25 heat-related deaths between May 1 and July 22, with about 830 heat-related emergency visits to hospitals, reports said.

• Assam, India.  “The death toll from ethnic violence in northeast India rose to 38 Wednesday after four days of clashes. At least 170,000 villagers have fled from their homes in the remote state of Assam,” said a report.

• China. “Tens of thousands of people have been summoned to stand guard  protecting dikes in Jingzhou city (Pop: ~ 6.45 million), which lies downstream of the Three Gorges Dam in Hubei province. Authorities declared more than 620 kms of river banks as risky along the Yangtze and its tributaries in the city.” Said a report.

Original Caption: Armed police patrol at the Three Gorges Dam, a gigantic hydropower project on the Yangtze River, in Yichang City, central China’s Hubei Province, July 24, 2012. Due to the downpours in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River, China’s longest, the Three Gorges Dam experienced its largest flood peak this year on Tuesday, with a peak flow of 70,000 cubic meters of water per second. (Xinhua/Xiao Yijiu)

Related Links

• Deadly Drought Worsens Corn, Soybean, Pasture and Range Conditions Posted July 24, 2012
• Watching Events Unfold, Frame by Frame, Exactly as Forecast Posted July 20, 2012
• Deadly Heat Continues to Devour U.S. Crops Posted July 19, 2012

• Drought Continues to Plague Two-Thirds of Continental U.S. Posted July 17, 2012
• Largest Ever U.S. Disaster Continues Unfolding July 14, 2012
• Drought 2012 Posted on January 8, 2012
• Drought and deluge 

Fire, Flood and Red Flag Warnings, Storm Emergency Force Evacuations

Tens of thousands evacuated amid raging blazes, as wildfires, flooding, TS DEBBY and extreme weather events affect 2 dozen states

As Tropical Storm DEBBY continued to inch closer to the Gulf Coast, Louisiana Governor issued an executive proclamation declaring a state of emergency for the state.

Tropical Storm DEBBY. IR Satellite Image (NHC Enhancement). Source: CIMSS

Tropical Storm Debby is moving very slowly northeast, and is expected to become nearly stationary overnight. The NOAA/NWS Hurricane Prediction center has cancelled the Tropical Storm Warning for Louisiana and Mississippi. A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect from the Mississippi-Alabama border eastward to the Suwannee River in Florida. A Tropical Storm Watch is in effect south of the Suwannee River to Englewood, Florida. There is high uncertainty with the movement of this storm. [NWS]

TS DEBBY has spawned at least 4 tornadoes in Collier County Florida, killing 1 person, injuring two, and destroying or damaging a dozen homes, as of posting.

Map of U.S. Weather Hazards. Update

• Hazardous Weather Warnings. Hazardous Weather Warnings have been issued for all 50 States.

• Red Flag Warnings. Red Flag Warnings are currently operating across at least 11 lower states and Hawaii.

• Fire Warning. “A FIRE IS BURNING RAPIDLY ALONG THE BOSQUE NEAR RIO VISTA RUN AND HIGHWAY 76 BETWEEN ESPANOLA AND CHIMAYO BY LA PUEBLA. RESIDENTS ARE URGED TO EVACUATE AWAY FROM THE FIRE.” NWS reported.

Wildfires

• Colorado. The Waldo Canyon Fire which ignited in Pike National Forest, El Paso County, on June 23 has exploded to about 3,000 acres, forcing nearly 12,000 people to evacuate.
  • The fire is expected to remain very active today as day heats up and winds develop, forest authorities said.
  • Mandatory evacuation orders are in place at

– Cedar Heights Subdivision and Mountain Shadows south of Chuck Wagon. Boundaries are Rampart Range Road to the west and everything west of 30thand Centennial from Gateway Road north to Chuck Wagon. This is the only mandatory or voluntary evacuation in effect at this time in Colorado Springs City limits.
– Manitou Springs has also placed Mandatory Evacuation Orders within its City limits.
– CORRECTION to reported voluntary evacuations for Mountain Shadows. There are no Mandatory Evacuation – – Orders in place at this time for Mountain Shadows other than those south of Chuck Wagon Road.
– Garden of the Gods Park and Garden of the Gods Visitor Center are closed.
– Green Mountain Falls, Chipita Park, and Cascade (on both sides of Hwy 24)
– Farish and Corrol Lake off Rampart Range Road
– Red Rock Canyon Open Space, Garden of the Gods Park, Palmer Park and Pikes Peak Highway are CLOSED.
– To have your phone on the “reverse 911” for evacuation notices, go to elpasoteller911.org

– Pre Evacuation Notices (These are precautionary notices only – not Mandatory Evacuation, but be prepared to evacuate on short notice if official notification for Evacuation occurs)

– In Teller County: East of Safeway, north of Safeway to Rampart Range Road, south to Edlow Road [Inciweb]

• The High Park Fire.Colorado’s second-largest recorded fire and its most destructive has grown to about 83,000 acres and at least 248 homes (the figure includes additional homes which were lost late last week in the Glacier View and Hewlett subdivisions), USFS reported.
  • The deadly fire continues to spread west into inaccessible areas, and is said to have an EXTREME growth potential.
  • Evacuation Orders remain in place for thousands of residents.  See previous posts for lists.

   

• Utah. The Wood Hollow fire, a new, fast-moving blaze, about 100 miles south of Salt Lake City, has exploded to more than 8,000 acres, forcing thousands of people to flee their homes in 2 rural communities of Fountain Green and Indianola, reports said.

• Oklahoma.    Record heat likely today in Tulsa and neighboring areas, with afternoon heat index climbing to 111ºF, NWS forecast.
  • Heat wave is forecast to continues with 100+ heat to persists through the week.

Max Heat Index Map  Showing Threat for Monday.

Max Temps Map.

Global Disasters: Links, Forecasts and Background

• The First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities
• Back to the Primordial Future
• The Fate of Energy Dinosaurs
• Mass Die-offs

• Mega Disasters
• 2010 Disasters [Links to 2010 Disaster Calendar]
• 2011 Disaster Calendar
• 2012 Disaster Calendar

HUNGER: States of Emergency Declared Across the Sahel

10 million threatened by hunger as Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger declare states of emergency

Niger (pop: ~ 16million) is the worst affected country with almost half of its population left without enough to eat.

Disaster Calendar 2012 – February 20

[February 20, 2012]  Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016.  SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,486 Days Left to the ‘Worst Day’ in Human History

• The Sahel, Africa. Ten million people are threatened by hunger across the Sahel, as Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger declare states of emergency.
  • “Nearly half of Niger does not have enough to eat.  The 5.4 million people struggling to stay alive are part of a wider crisis affecting at least 10 million people across the swath across Africa that borders the Sahara, known as the Sahel,” said a spokeswoman for Mercy Corps.
  • “This is the third time in the last decade the people of the Sahel have faced severe food shortages.”

Other Disasters

• Global.  Wildfires kill about 339,000 people each year, according to a new study.
  • The fires consume about 450 million hectares, an area half the size of Canada.
  • [Notes:
    •  In China alone indoor air pollution kills 2.2 million youths.
    • Urban air pollution kills about 2.4 million people globally each year, said The World Health Organization (WHO); however, the true figure may be 10 times as many.]
  • About 157,000 of the deaths caused by wildfires occur in sub-Saharan Africa, and 110,000 deaths in southeast Asia.
  • The study suggests a link between climate and wildfire mortality.
  • El Niño years, when the surface ocean temperature rises in the tropical eastern Pacific Ocean, claim an average of 532,000 lives, twice as many as the cooler La Niña years, averaging 262,000 deaths per year.

Global Disasters: Links, Forecasts and Background

• The First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities
• Back to the Primordial Future
• Mass Die-offs

• 2010 Disasters [Links to 2010 Disaster Calendar]
• Mega Disasters
• 2011 Disaster Calendar
• 2012 Disaster Calendar 

Drought: Recent Links

• Drought tightens grip on S. Mozambique Posted on January 16, 2012
• Niger Faces Food Shortages Posted on December 25, 2011
• Disaster Calendar 2011: Famine Spreads in Somalia Posted on August 4, 2011
• Worst drought in living memory gripping Horn of Africa Posted on June 29, 2011

Worsening Texas Drought May Stay Many Years

Texas has experienced the driest one-year period on record 

99.16 percent of Texas now plagued by severe to exceptional drought levels

READ THIS FIRST

Continued hacking and content censorship

In view of the continued hacking and censorship of this blog by the Internet Mafia, the Moderators have decided to maintain only a minimum presence at this site, until further notice.

FIRE-EARTH will continue to update the 2011 Disaster Calendar for the benefit of its readers.

WordPress is HACKING this blog!

WordPress Continues to Hack Fire-Earth, Affiliated Blogs

The Blog Moderators Condemn in the Strongest Possible Terms the Continued Removal of Content and Hacking of FIRE-EARTH and Affiliated Blogs by WordPress!

United States of Censorship

Even Twitter Counters are disabled when Blog posts criticize Obama, or contain “forbidden phrases.”  See also: Google’s Top 10 List of ‘Holy Cows’

Disaster Calendar 2011 – September 29

[September 29, 2011]  Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016.  SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,630 Days Left to the ‘Worst Day’ in Human History

Texas Drought Map. Drought progression comparison maps for Sept 20 and Sept 27, 2011. Source US Drought Monitor. 

• Texas, USA. The Lone Star State has now experienced its driest one-year period on record in the past 12 months.
• Entire Texas is now plagued by drought, with 99.16 percent of the state listed as being in severe, extreme or exceptional drought levels (D2 – D4).
• “It is possible that we could be looking at another of these multiyear droughts like we saw in the 1950s, and like the tree rings have shown that the state has experienced over the last several centuries,” State Climatologist John Nielson-Gammon told Reuters.
• Gammon said the current drought began in  in 2005, but was mitigated in 2007 and 2010. However, it could linger on for another 9 years, if the pattern holds.
• “We’ve had five of the last seven years in drought, and it looks like it is going to be six out of eight,” he said.
• “We’re very lucky that we had 2007 and 2010, which were years of plentiful rain,” he said. “2010 was the wettest year in record. Were it not for last year, we would be in much worse shape even than we are today.”
• Texas is currently up to 20 inches of rainfall behind the month’s average, September usually being one of the state’s wettest months, Gammon said.
• Wildfires. Wildfires in Texas have consumed 3,764,123 acres and 6,919 homes and other structures.
• YTD Data provided by Texas Forest Service, (TFS) on September 29, 2011
• Wildfires: 21,546
• Acres Burned: 3,764,123

• Texas drought-related losses YTD: At least $10 billion

YTD Texas wildfire stats by TFS as of September 29, 2011.  Friday September 30, 2011 is forecast to be another extremely hazardous day for wildfires in Texas, TFS said.

• East Texas Weather Forecast: “Hotter, Drier and More Unstable Today……Winds increasing from the North Tonight with poor humidity recovery…A critical fire weather situation will be developing later today and persist into Friday.” TFS said.

Related Links

• Texas Declared Major Disaster Area
• Drought Intensifies in Southern U.S.
• The Wildfire that Broke Texas’s Back

• 2011 Disaster Calendar – September
• Texas Wildfires Torch 1,100 Homes
• Mega Heatwaves Could Kill Tens of Thousands in the U.S.  (FIRE-EARTH Forecast)
• U.S. Disaster Losses Mounting
• 2011 Atlantic Hurricane Season: AAA  (FIRE-EARTH Forecast)
• U.S. back-to-back disasters phase has begun

• Pakistan Floods: 6 Million Affected, 2 Million Sickened, 300 Dead
• 2011 Much More Disastrous: FIRE-EARTH Forecast
• Global Disasters in 2011 Could Impact 1/3 to 1/2 of the Human Population  (FIRE-EARTH Forecast)
• Back to the Primordial Future
• Mass Die-offs  (FIRE-EARTH Forecast)

• The First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities  (EDRO Forecast)
• 2011 Disaster Calendar – August
• 2010 Disaster Calendar 
• 2011 Disaster Calendar

Who’s Afraid of Wildfires

Smoke from wildfires burning in the US can severely impact human health and ecosystems

Wildfire smoke consists of a nasty mixture of air pollutants including  carbon monoxide (CO),  nitrogen oxides (NOx), sulfur dioxide (SO₂), ozone (O₃), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), heavy metals, and particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10). 

Smoke composition depends on the fuel type and moisture content, the fire temperature, wind conditions and other factors. Different types of wood and vegetation produce different compounds when burned because they have varying amounts cellulose, lignin, tannins and other polyphenols, fats, resins, waxes, oils, starches and to a lesser extent the carcinogen benzene.

Particulate matter is the major pollutant of concern because they can affect the lungs and heart. Particle pollution includes PM10 (diameters of 2.5 to 10 µm, or micrometers)  and PM2.5 (diameters of 2.5 µm or smaller).
NOTE:  The diameter of human hair varies from 20 to 180 µm.

About 40 million people in the US suffer from chronic lung diseases including asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). These patients can easily be affected by lower levels of pollutants that normally do not harm healthier people.

Wildfires: Future Trend

FIRE-EARTH would only assign a certain probability to a catastrophic volcanic explosion at, say, Yellowstone during the next 5 years (subject of a future discussion), but can forecast with near certainty large increases in the size and intensity of wildfires throughout the Americas, while the ailing forests last.

Air Quality Index (Combine Ozone and PM2.5) – AirNow

Historically, the AQI value of 100 is set at the level of the short-term standard for a pollutant and the AQI value of 50 at the level of the annual standard, if there is one, or at one-half the level of the short-term standard if there is not. The upper bound index value of 500 corresponds to the Significant Harm Level (SHL), established in section 51.16 of the CFR under the Prevention of Air Pollution Emergency Episodes program. The SHL is set at a level that represents imminent and substantial endangerment to public health. Source: EPA- Revising the Air Quality Index and Setting a Significant Harm Level for PM2.5 – February 12, 2007; URL http://www.epa.gov/airnow/aqi_issue_paper_020707.pdf — Click to enlarge

Air Quality Index Hourly Ozone 

Smoke Detection/Forecasts

• http://www.firedetect.noaa.gov/viewer.htm
• http://www.fs.fed.us/pnw/airfire/
• http://www.fs.fed.us/fcamms/
• http://marlin.cfr.washington.edu/website/bsr_cansac

More information about wildfires and smoke hazards available at

• http://www.fs.fed.us/fcamms/
• http://marlin.cfr.washington.edu/website/bsr_cansac
• http://www.wrh.noaa.gov
• http://www.epa.gov/iaq/pubs/ozonegen.html
• http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan20061800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2006/pdf/06-177.pdf

National Ambient Air Quality Standards for Particulate Matter Final Rule (October 17, 2006):
http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/01jan20061800/edocket.access.gpo.gov/2006/pdf/06-8477.pdf
Review of the National Ambient Air Quality Standards for Particulate Matter: OAQPS Staff Paper (Dec 05):
http://www.epa.gov/ttn/naaqs/standards/pm/data/pmstaffpaper_20051221.pdf
Particle Pollution and Your Health:
http://www.epa.gov/airnow//particle/pm-color.pdf
Air Quality Index Reporting Proposed Rule (December 9, 1998):
http://epa.gov/airnow/health/aqi_proposal_1998.pdf
Air Quality Index Reporting Final Rule (August 4, 1999):
http://www.epa.gov/ttn/oarpg/t1/fr_notices/airqual.pdf

Environmental Protection Agency

• http://airnow.gov/
• http://www.fire.ca.gov/index.php
• http://www.deq.state.mt.us/FireUpdates/index.asp
• http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/air/pdfs/WAQA.pdf

Related Links

• Wallow Fire Set to Become Largest in Arizona History
• Wallow Fire Now Arizona’s 2nd Largest, and Growing
• Arizona’s Wallow Fire Grew by 61 pct
• Wildfires Raging in Arizona, Alaska, NC, Georgia, Texas …
• 2011 Disaster Calendar – June 4

2011 Disaster Calendar – June 4

June 4 Entry in the 2011 Disaster Calendar

On May 15, 2011 symbolic countdown to the ‘worst day’ in human history began.

Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016

2011 – 2012: A Time for Mega Disasters

U.S., the world, stake the future on high-energy strategies. Energy models’ simulations show all such strategies ending in collapse. EDRO

Nearly all of the anthropogenic and human-enhanced disasters that will occur on the planet in the 2011-2012 period would have been preventable.

Humans continued to devour energy at a rate of 17.3terrawatt in 2011, when maximum ‘safe’ limit was less than 1.9terrawatt.

In 2010, FIRE-EARTH Forecast that 2011 would be SIX TIMES MORE DISASTROUS THAN 2010

2011 Disaster Calendar

January 2011 | February 2011 | March 2011 | April 2011 | May 2011 | June 2011 |

• [June 4, 2011]  Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016.  SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,747 Days Left to the ‘Worst Day’ in Human History
• The Arctic. Cairn Energy, a British oil exploration company based in Edinburgh, has started drilling two wells off the coast of Greenland, reports said. “The company, which plans to drill a total of four wells in Greenland this summer, said that drilling operations commenced at one well on its Atammik Block and one well on its Lady Franklin Block off the coast of West Greenland.”
• Tunisia.  At least 250 passengers are feared drowned after a Europe-bound boat from Libya capsized off the Kerkennah island, near the coast of Tunisia, reports said.
• “We recovered only two bodies yesterday [and] we suspended search operations because of bad weather,” coast guard director told AFP news agency on Friday.
• “Earlier, Carole Laleve from the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) told Reuters that 150 bodies had been found off the shores of Kerkennah.” The report added.
• USA. Wildfires have consumed a YTD total of about 6 million acres and 1,800 structures throughout the U.S., FIRE-EARTH estimated.
• Texas, USA. Wildfires have incinerated at least 2,753,912 acres and destroyed 1,195 structures in the state of Texas, according to Texas Forest Service. [Note: FIRE-EARTH estimates that at least 1,600 structures have been lost to Texas fires since January 2011.]
• The Dakotas, USA. About 15,000 people were forced to evacuate in Minot, North Dakota as Missouri River continued swelling.  Meanwhile, hundreds of homes in Pierre, Fort Pierre and Dakota Dunes in South Dakota, are being evacuated.

[NOTE: This listing is by no means exhaustive.]

An activist scales the underside of Cairn Energy’s Leiv Eiriksson oil rig. Two activists were arrested on Wednesday. (Greenpeace)

Two of the activists protesting against Arctic oil exploration by the Leiv Eiriksson rig were arrested by armed-to-the-teeth Danish commandos, who ended the 4-day occupation on the 53,000 ton monstrosity in the Davis Strait, west of Greenland. Photo credit: Markel Redondo/Greenpeace

See also Gunboat Democracy: When a government uses the military against protesters 

2010 Disaster Calendar

January 2010 | February 2010 | March 2010 | April 2010 | May 2010 | June 2010 | July 2010 | August 2010 | September 2010 | October 2010 | November 2010 | December 2010

“The antiphase will rapidly transform humans into vicious animals, fighting each other for water, food, fuel, land and all other dwindling natural resources. The fighting, in turn, enhances the positive feedbacks, accelerating the downward spiral.” —EDRO

Related Links

• Nature’s Warnings Exponentially Intensifying  Posted by edro on April 14, 2011
• The First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities
• Index of Human Impact on Nature (HIoN) March 2008
• 2010: The Year of Disasters
• Earth’s Human Induced Antiphase Nears Completion
• 2011 SIX TIMES MORE DISASTROUS THAN 2010

Alberta Fires: Oil Production Down 200,000 bpd

Oil companies order more evacuations, as fires threaten facilities

The wildfires raging across northern Alberta have forced a sharp drop in the province’s crude oil production.

Summary of Details

• Wildfires are forcing the closure of roads and  pipelines.
• Oil and gas companies have been forced to close down wells in several areas.
• Crude production has been reduced by at least 100,000 bpd.
• CEO of Penn West Exploration said: “I would think the number is probably closer to 200,000 barrels per day.” [That’s the equivalent of about 10 per cent of Alberta’s total output.]
• Fires have already destroyed/affected some production facilities and infrastructure.
• Production around Slave Lake is said to be the worst affected.
• “The fires are viciously out of control,” Penn West chief executive officer Bill Andrew said.
• FIRE-EARTH said: Murphy’s law has no time vector!

Slave Lake Complex Fire Map

Source: industrymailout. Click image to enlarge. PDF file available HERE

WILDFIRE UPDATE [md124 – May 17: 9:15 PM]

(provincial fire ban in effect for all public and park lands)

• Currently 100 wildfires in Alberta:
• 23 out-of-control wildfires (15 in Lesser Slave Lake area)
• More than 100,000 hectares of forest have burned since April 1 – more than the area burned over Alberta’s entire 2010 wildfire season.

Alberta Fires (YTD)

• Total Fires: 459 (Five-year Average: 395)
• Total Hectares Burned:  186,897.40  (Five-year Average: 2,145.71 Ha)

Official Sites:

• Lesser Slave Wildfire Update
• Municipality of Lesser Slave

Provincial Wildfire Situation Report:

• May 18, 2011 @ 12:28 PM

Related Links

• Slave Lake Fires (Update 3): The Ghost Town
• Slave Lake Fires (Update 2): 40% of the City Destroyed

• Slave Lake on Fire
• Large parts of Alaskan (and Canadian) forests could be consumed by wildfires: FEWW forecast
• Wildfires Wreaking Havoc Across the U.S.
• US Wildfires: 50-percent more fires than the 10 year average

• U-S Attacked by Continued Severe Weather
• Climate Forcing: Positive Feedback Mega Loop
• Global Climate Extremes INTENSIFYING

• 2011 Disaster Calendar – MAY
• 2011-2012 MegaDisasters
• Earth: Wounded and Feverish

• FEWW DISASTER FORECAST 2011
• 2011 Much More Disastrous
• 2011 SIX TIMES MORE DISASTROUS THAN 2010
• Megadisasters Loom
• The First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities

TEXAS ON FIRE

WILDFIRES CONSUME MORE THAN 1 MILLION ACRES IN TEXAS

EXTREMELY CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER for PORTIONS of TEXAS, NEW MEXICO and OKLAHOMA: NWS Forecast

Texas Latest: 14 major fires consuming 19 counties throughout the state

Texas Wildfire Stats

[YTD Totals as of April 14, 2011 UTC]

• No. of Fires: 5,354
• Acres Burned: 1,041,187
• Structures destroyed: 645
• Source: TFSI SITUATION REPORT

LATEST WEATHER WARNING: High Impact Weather Across the U.S. Through Friday (NWS)

“A storm system originating in the central Rockies is forecast to intensify over the central Plains Thursday and Friday before moving northeastward through the western Great Lakes states on Saturday. It is expected to produce a variety of weather hazards across parts of the Central U.S., including severe thunderstorms Thursday afternoon and evening across the south central Plains, a possible tornado outbreak Friday afternoon in parts of western to middle Tennessee, Mississippi, and Alabama, continued critical fire weather conditions across the central and southern Rockies and High Plains, heavy wet snow across parts of Nebraska and the Dakotas northeastward to upper Michigan, and heavy rain—which will only exacerbate ongoing flooding—from the central Plains eastward into the Ohio Valley and south to the Gulf Coast” Details …

Red Flag Warnings [Click here for latest reports]

URGENT – FIRE WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EL PASO TX/SANTA TERESA NM — 9:17 PM CDT WED APR 13, 2011
PARTICULARLY DANGEROUS FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS THURSDAY

VERY HIGH TO EXTREME FIRE DANGER FOR THE GUADALUPE, DAVIS, AND APACHE MOUNTAINS,SOUTHEAST NEW MEXICO PLAINS, WESTERN LOW ROLLING PLAINS, VAN HORN AND HIGHWAY 54 CORRIDOR, REEVES COUNTY AND THE UPPER TRANS PECOS, PERMIAN BASIN. AND MARFA AND STOCKTON PLATEAUS

Click image to enter NWS portal.

TEXAS FOREST SERVICE INCIDENT MANAGEMENT SITUATION REPORT: New large fires from yesterday

• LUCAS, Stephens County: 400 acres, no estimated containment. Multiple structures were evacuated. The fire is located 12 miles southeast of Breckenridge.
• SCHEZZOW, Kerr County. 400 acres, 50 percent contained. Two structures were threatened and saved; one outbuilding, one vehicle and one bobcat skid-steer were lost. The fire is located 22 miles west of Kerrville.
• ENCINO, Tom Green County. 12,659 acres, 50 percent contained. Heavy airtankers and numerous ground resources assisted on this fire 13 miles west of San Angelo. Dozens of homes were saved.
• COOPER MOUNTAIN RANCH, Kent County. 15,000 acres, no containment. Numerous homes, outbuildings and oil facilities are threatened. Evacuations did occur.
• CANNON, Pecos County. 14000 acres, unknown containment. This complex of four fires is burning just south of Iraan. No evacuations or losses.
• ROCKHOUSE, Presidio and Jeff Davis counties. 108,000 acres, 60 percent contained. 23 homes and 2 businesses were reported as destroyed in the Ft. Davis area.
• SWENSON, Stonewall, King, and Knox counties. 103,384 acres, 80 percent contained. The fire is burning three miles north of Swenson.
• ROPER, Brewster County. 40,000 acres, 95 percent containment. The fire is burning east of Alpine.
• HICKMAN, Midland County. 16,500 acres, 98 percent contained. 34 homes were reported destroyed on this fire burning on the south side of Midland.
• KILLOUGH, Garza County. 35,984 acres, 90 percent contained. 60 homes were saved and one destroyed on this fire six miles south of Post.
• CAMP BOWIE, Brown County. 3,355 acres, 90 percent contained. The fire is burning on the Camp Bowie Military Reservation south of Brownwood.

Gov. Perry Visits the Devastated Areas

Perry has renewed fire disaster proclamation for Texas.

“As we witness devastation, we also witness the best in human nature – as exhibited in the heroism of men and women who run toward danger as everyone else flees – and the generosity of Texans opening their homes and hearts to those displaced by these fires,” said Gov Perry.

“The threat of wildfires is one we’ve lived with consistently for months, and I urge Texans to continue heeding all warnings from fire and local officials and to take whatever precautions necessary to minimize the risk of wildfire.”

Outdoor Burn Bans

191 Texas counties are reporting burn bans. Click image to enlarge.

U-S Attacked by Continued Severe Weather

Posted by feww on March 1, 2011

Brace for the Worst Ever

Climatic  Extremes, Primeval Geophysical Activities and WILD Weather to Wreak Mega Havoc in 2011/2012 and Beyond …

NOW IS THE PERFECT TIME TO POWER DOWN AND START THINKING HARD. 

Encourage your folks, friends and neighbors to join in!! BECAUSE  for most of us the GAME would be OVER soon.

Flooding and fires, earthquakes and eruptions, deadly tornadoes and strong storms … are just some of the items you’ve ordered from the climate change quick menu!

Texas county prays for “divine intervention”

Tom Green County Commissioners “have resorted  to asking their constituents to pray for rain, hoping divine intervention can alleviate the severe drought gripping much of the state and fueling wildfires that have scorched large swaths of ranchland,” a report said.

The Commissioners have  issued a proclamation encouraging the local folks to pray for “divine intervention” by way of rain. “We certainly need it,” said County Judge Mike Brown.

More than 100 churches are being asked to participate.

Wildfires in Central Texas

The Killough and the Swenson fires burned in Texas on April 10, 2011, when MODIS on NASA’s Terra satellite took this image. Source NASA-EO. Click images to enlarge.

Wildfires in SW Texas

The Rock House Fire, Brewster Fire and several other large fires were burning on April 10, 2011 when MODIS on NASA’s Terra satellite acquired this image. Source NASA-EO.

Related News

• Wildfires Devastating Texas; Gov. Perry Tours
• Local officials in a parched Texas county have resorted to asking their constituents to pray for rain
• Drought sears farmers’ hopes: They had wanted to take advantage of record prices for commodities
• U.S. Agrees to Help Fight Mexico Wildfires

Related Links

• Global Disaster Forecast – UPDATE 17 Mar
• 2011 Disaster Calendar
• Extreme fire danger, continued major flooding in the US

• US Wildfire Pattern Consistent with Drought
• National Fire Stats Falsified?
• Denver wildfire forces evacuation of 10,000 homes
• Wildfires Wreaking Havoc Across the U.S.
• World on Fire

WILDFIRES: Red Flag Warnings in 6 States

Dangerous wildfire conditions will exist across the South Plains today: NWS

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LUBBOCK TX 5:05 AM CDT SUN APR 10 2011

URGENT: DANGEROUS WILDFIRE EPISODE EXPECTED TODAY

MORE THAN A DOZEN WILDFIRES BURNT THOUSANDS OF ACRES AND DESTROYED HOMES ACROSS PORTIONS OF WEST TEXAS AND SURROUNDING STATES YESTERDAY.

EARLY THIS MORNING, LARGE WILDFIRES CONTINUE TO BURN ON THE SOUTH PLAINS IN CROSBY, KENT,  AND KING COUNTIES. TODAY, AN INTENSE STORM SYSTEM WILL EJECT OVER THE PLAINS BRINGING VERY STRONG WESTERLY WINDS BETWEEN 30 AND 40 MPH WITH GUSTS NEAR 60 MPH. ALTHOUGH TEMPERATURES WILL BE COOLER THAN RECENT DAYS, RELATIVE HUMIDITIES WILL REMAIN CRITICALLY LOW BETWEEN 5 AND 15 PERCENT. THIS WEATHER WILL COMBINE WITH AN EXTREME AMBIENT FIRE DANGER IN GRASSES TO RESULT IN A DANGEROUS ENVIRONMENT FOR WIND-DRIVEN GRASSLAND WILDFIRES. IN ADDITION TO THE ONGOING FIRES, ADDITIONAL IGNITIONS ARE LIKELY TODAY GIVEN THAT WINDS WILL BE STRONG ENOUGH TO ARC OR DAMAGE ELECTRICAL LINES. DANGEROUS AND POTENTIALLY LIFE THREATENING FIRE WEATHER WILL EXIST ON THE SOUTH PLAINS TODAY. RESIDENTS ARE URGED TO EXERCISE EXTREME CAUTION WHILE OUTDOORS. STRICTLY OBEY BURN BANS. AVOID ACTIVITIES THAT MAY PROMOTE OPEN FLAMES OR SPARKS. DO NOT THROW CIGARETTES ONTO THE GROUND OR OUT OF VEHICLES…AND KEEP VEHICLES ON DRIVING SURFACES AWAY FROM GRASS. MONITOR THE LATEST NEWS AND WEATHER INFORMATION, AND BE PREPARED TO ADHERE TO EVACUATION ORDERS FROM LOCAL OFFICIALS SHOULD WILDFIRE THREATEN YOUR AREA. IF YOU SMELL SMOKE OR SEE FIRE, .SEEK A SAFE LOCATION IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION OF THE FIRE IMMEDIATELY.

US Weather Hazard Map

Click image to enter NWS portal.

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK:

• FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTH CENTRAL ARKANSAS, SOUTHWEST ARKANSAS, NORTH CENTRAL LOUISIANA, NORTHWEST LOUISIANA, SOUTHEAST OKLAHOMA, EAST TEXAS AND NORTHEAST TEXAS.
• PORTIONS OF SOUTHERN ILLINOIS, SOUTHWEST INDIANA, WESTERN KENTUCKY, AND SOUTHEAST MISSOURI.
• FOR NORTH CENTRAL AND NORTHEAST WISCONSIN.

Click image to enlarge.

Related Weather News

• Results of Storm Damage Surveys from Severe Weather on April 4, 2011

Related Links

• Extreme Weather Conditions in the US Posted on April 9, 2011
• 2011 Disaster Calendar – APRIL

Wildfires Wreaking Havoc Across the U.S.

12 Large Fires Burning Across the Country

Active fires have consumed more than 155,000 acres, with 6 new fires reported.

States currently reporting large fires:

• Arizona (1)
• Arkansas (2)
• Colorado (1)
• Hawaii (1)
• Kansas (1)
• Missouri (1)
• Oklahoma (3)
• Texas (2)

“The Rocky Mountain, Southern and Southwest areas are at a preparedness level 2, meaning that these areas have high fire danger and multiple large fires.” Said National Interagency Fire Center.

Oklahoma

Wildfires forced Oklahomans from their homes in two northeastern towns on Wednesday evening as fire threatened dozens of homes near the town of Prue, Osage County, and  scores of homes in the Oak Park area of Bartlesville, Washington County, officials said.

Big Island Hawaii

A large wildfire set off by the eruption of the Kilauea volcano on Hawaii’s Big Island earlier this month has consumed about 2,000 acres of national park land. The fire is burning on the volcano’s east rift in the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park about 12km SE of the Kilauea Visitor Center.

The spreading wildfire was started by lava splatters at the volcano’s Kamoamoa fissure, which erupted on March 5, and is currently being fanned by strong trade winds, said a spokesman for the National Park Service. Photo Credit: Suzanne Snow.

Current Wildfires
Arizona	Fires: 1	Acres: 4,000	* New fires: 0	Fires contained: 0
Duke (Coronado National Forest): 4,000 acres at 15 percent contained. This fire is 11 miles northeast of Nogales. Structures are threatened and roads are closed.
Arkansas	Fires: 2	Acres: 832	* New fires: 0	Fires contained: 3
Queen Simmons (Arkansas Forestry Commission): 632 acres at 90 percent contained. This fire is ten miles northwest of Clinton.
Long (Arkansas Forestry Commission): 200 acres at 98 percent contained. This fire is six miles south of Canaan.
Colorado	Fires: 1	Acres: 1,162	* New fires: 0	Fires contained: 0
Indian Gulch (Jefferson County): 1,162 acres at 25 percent contained. This fire is one mile west of Golden. Muir’s IMT 1 is assigned to the incident. Residences are threanted and evacuations are in place. Information: Visit the Rocky Mountain Coordination Center.
Hawaii	Fires: 1	Acres: 2,010	* New fires: 0	Fires contained: 0
Napau (Hawaii Volcanoes National Park): 2,010 acres. This fire is nine miles west of Kalapana.
Kansas	Fires: 1	Acres: 144,000	* New fires: 1	Fires contained: 0
* Stanton County (Kansas Counties): 144,000 acres at 70 percent contained. This fire is 30 miles south of Johnson City.
Kentucky	Fires: 0	Acres: 0	* New fires: 1	Fires contained: 1
Missouri	Fires: 1	Acres: 100	* New fires: 0	Fires contained: 0
Crane Cemetary (Mark Twain National Forest): 100 acres at 40 percent contained. This fire is six miles north of Houston.
Oklahoma	Fires: 3	Acres: 1,770	* New fires: 1	Fires contained: 2
Bread Town (Oklahoma Department of Forestry): 880 acres at 75 percent contained. This fire is three miles northeast of Stringtown.
Rocky (Oklahoma Department of Forestry): 530 acres at 70 percent contained. This fire is four miles northeast of Marble City.
Trall Hollow (Oklahoma Department of Forestry): 360 acres at 85 percent contained. This fire is one mile southeast of Bell.
Texas	Fires: 2	Acres: 1,400	* New fires: 3	Fires contained: 1
* Ralph Keller Ranch (Texas Forest Service): 1,000 acres at zero percent contained. This fire started on private land 14 miles northeast of Marathon. Residences are threatened.
* Koch (Texas Forest Service): 400 acres at zero percent contained. This fire started on private land nine miles south of Andrew

Source: National Interagency Fire Center

Year-to-date statistics
Period: 2011 (1/1/11 – 3/23/11)
Acres: 588,237

9-year Average
Acres: 396,282

Related Links

• Activity at Kilauea – Satellite Images
• US Wildfires: 50-percent more fires than the 10 year average

• U-S Attacked by Continued Severe Weather
• Climate Forcing: Positive Feedback Mega Loop
• Global Climate Extremes INTENSIFYING

• 2011 Disaster Calendar
• 2011-2012 MegaDisasters
• Earth: Wounded and Feverish

• 2011 Disaster Calendar
• FEWW DISASTER FORECAST 2011
• 2011 Much More Disastrous
• 2011 SIX TIMES MORE DISASTROUS THAN 2010
• Megadisasters Loom
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Wildfires Worsen Climate Change Positive Pull

National Science Foundation: Press Release 09-081

Fire Is an Important and Under-Appreciated Part of Global Climate Change

Study identifies significant contributions of fire to climate change and identifies feedbacks between fire and climate change

April 23, 2009

Fire must be accounted for as an integral part of climate change, according to 22 authors of an article published in the April 24 issue of the journal Science. The authors determined that intentional deforestation fires alone contribute up to one-fifth of the human-caused increase in emissions of carbon dioxide, a heat-trapping gas that increases global temperature.

California Fires (June 2008)

A heat wave and windy weather plagued firefighters in California in mid-June 2008 as they worked to contain hundreds of fires across the state. Many of the fires were triggered by lightning on Friday, June 20. This natural-color image from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite on Monday, June 23, shows places where the sensor detected actively burning fires (red outlines). Fires appear most numerous in Northern California. The Northern region of California has experienced record low levels of rainfall this spring, leaving dry vegetation in the area. This in conjunction with windy weather has made firefighting efforts difficult. Image and Caption: MODIS Web.

Fires in Texas and Oklahoma (April 2009)

Severe weather in the second week of April 2009 fanned wildfires in northern Texas and southern Oklahoma. This image of the area was captured on April 9, 2009, by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite. Places where the sensor detected active fires are outlined in red. A line of fires stretched across the plains west of Dallas-Forth Worth, and strong winds were driving smoke plumes from the fires toward the cities. Several people died, and hundreds of homes were destroyed according to the Texas Forest Service. NASA image courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response [sic] Team. Caption by Rebecca Lindsey.

The work is the culmination of a meeting supported by the Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics (KITP) and the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis (NCEAS), both based at the University of California, Santa Barbara and funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF).

The authors call on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) to fully integrate fire into their assessments of global climate change, and consider fire-climate feedbacks, which have been largely absent in global models.

The article ties together various threads of knowledge about fire, which have, until now, remained isolated in disparate fields including ecology, global modeling, physics, anthropology and climatology.

Increasing numbers of wildfires are influencing climate as well, the authors report. “The tragic fires in Victoria, Australia, emphasize the ubiquity of recent large wildfires and potentially changing fire regimes that are concomitant with anthropogenic climate change,” said David Bowman of the University of Tasmania. “Our review is both timely and of great relevance globally.”

Carbon dioxide is the most important and well-studied greenhouse gas that is emitted by burning plants. However, methane, aerosol particulates in smoke, and the changing reflectance of a charred landscape each contribute to changes in the atmosphere caused by fire. Consequences of large fires have huge economic, environmental, and health costs, report the authors.

The authors state, “Earth is intrinsically a flammable planet due to its cover of carbon-rich vegetation, seasonally dry climates, atmospheric oxygen, widespread lightning and volcano ignitions. Yet, despite the human species’ long-held appreciation of this flammability, the global scope of fire has been revealed only recently by satellite observations available beginning in the 1980s.”

They note, however, that satellites cannot adequately capture fire activity in ecosystems with very long fire intervals, or those with highly variable fire activity.

Jennifer Balch, a member of the research team and a postdoctoral fellow at NCEAS, explains that there are bigger and more frequent fires from the western U.S. to the tropics. There are “fires where we don’t normally see fires,” she said, noting that it is in the humid tropics that a lot of deforestation fires are occurring, usually to expand agriculture or cattle ranching. “Wet rainforests have not historically experienced fires at the frequency that they are today. During extreme droughts, such as in 97-98, Amazon wildfires burned through 39,000 square kilometers of forest.”

Balch explains the importance of the article: “This synthesis is a prerequisite for adaptation to the apparent recent intensification of fire feedbacks, which have been exacerbated by climate change, rapid land cover transformation, and exotic species introductions–that collectively challenge the integrity of entire biomes.”

The authors acknowledge that their estimate of fire’s influence on climate is just a start, and they highlight major research gaps that must be addressed in order to understand the complete contribution of fire to the climate system.

Balch notes that a holistic fire science is necessary, and points out fire’s true importance. “We don’t think about fires correctly,” she said. “Fire is as elemental as air or water. We live on a fire planet. We are a fire species. Yet, the study of fire has been very fragmented. We know lots about the carbon cycle, the nitrogen cycle, but we know very little about the fire cycle, or how fire cycles through the biosphere.”

“The large and diverse group of authors on this paper typifies an increasing trend across many sciences,” said Henry Gholz, an NSF program director. “NSF explicitly supports this by funding “synthesis centers,” such as NCEAS and KITP. Instead of focusing on generating new data, these centers synthesize the results of literally thousands of completed research projects into new results, theories and insights. The conclusions of this paper–that fire is important to the global carbon cycle and global climate, and that our ignorance about fire at this scale is vast–and could not have otherwise been obtained.”

-NSF-

NOTE:  Wildfires are a part of Mother Nature’s defense mechanism to ensure the cycle of life.  Our lifestyles, however, have transformed this natural mechanism into a full-scale anthropogenic catastrophe.

Related Links:

• Raging Wildfires: Mother Nature ensuring the cycle of life?
• Nature’s Defense Mechanisms
• Thought for the Day: Reoccurrences of Natural Phenomena
• Nature Must Be Punished, Look at the Mess in California!