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Post by High Sierra Fan on Aug 19, 2020 19:34:35 GMT -8
All of a sudden July mosquito hordes don’t seem all that much. Sigh. www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/local/2020/08/19/why-california-wildfires-are-so-extreme-right-now/“ In Loyalton, Calif., a wildfire that raged Saturday released so much heat that its smoke plume grew sufficiently tall that it behaved like a thunderstorm. The smoky pyrocumulonimbus cloud tapped into changing winds with height, causing it to rotate and spawn several fire-induced tornadoes. Doppler radar revealed at least five tornado-strength rotational signatures inside the smoke plume, with photos taken from the ground of the smoky funnels. The National Weather Service in Reno, Nev., issued a souped-up tornado warning cautioning against the fire tornadoes and extreme fire behavior.” Fire tornados (five of them)? Wow. Just wow. |
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balzaccom
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Post by balzaccom on Aug 19, 2020 20:42:10 GMT -8
They have evacuated the entire eastern half of Napa County this evening, including one of our hospitals--everything east of Napa Valley itself.
The wineries are still open, but everything east of there is either on fire or in danger from fire. It's heartbreaking.
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Post by High Sierra Fan on Aug 19, 2020 20:54:17 GMT -8
The big wildfires of the sixties in San Diego county put enough ash into the city to require shoveling like it was snow; but that was a hugely rare event.
Now? The new normal is depressingly similar. Drought, beetle kill, decades of fire suppression leading to fuels buildup, development expanding deep into the wildfire zone. That last is striking. I seem to recall it being unusual to hear of a house being lost when 100,00 acres went up. Now a thousand don’t even merit a second thought.
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davesenesac
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Post by davesenesac on Aug 20, 2020 12:18:01 GMT -8
As feared given the thermal imaging satellite map, the huge, now 60 square mile LNU complex fire has destroyed most of the wonderful wooden historic buildings at Big Basin Redwoods State Park, our states oldest state park. Generations of families have so loved that park.
As a young child when our family lived in Cupertino, I recall a camping trip we did there. The park has (or had?) a wonderful wooden seat amphitheater made from redwoods with a fireplace on the stage that in those days were nightly ranger led campfire circle events including stage plays. Particularly recall the sing-along families loved so much singing classics like Oh-Susanna and The Bear Went Over The Mountain. So sad. Most of the big trees will survive but much of the park for many years will be unpleasantly sooty and black. Worst smoke state-wide within my lifetime though if it were not for the mostly stagnant air without much wind, fire damages could be far worse.
www.sfgate.com/california-wildfires/article/Big-Basin-wildfire-CZU-Complex-headquarters-park-15497175.php
Three of my brothers live just a block from the evacuation zone border in Vacaville and continue to be on the lee of dense smoke from that huge fire. They related they can hardly see a block. When the smoke clears so authorities can see what is left, it will be yet another massive fire tragedy in the news.
Current arcgis app fire and smoke map showing myriad fires and vast areas with smoke:
www.arcgis.com/home/webmap/viewer.html?webmap=df8bcc10430f48878b01c96e907a1fc3#!
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Post by High Sierra Fan on Aug 20, 2020 12:24:26 GMT -8
One thing I’ve noticed? California is commonly reporting out wildfire size in square miles instead of acres....
A very bad sign.
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swmtnbackpacker
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Post by swmtnbackpacker on Aug 21, 2020 9:30:27 GMT -8
It’s been bad but think 2 storm systems (one from Baja next wk, the other via the PNW now) might deliver some relief from both directions, if there’s enough rain spinning away from them. If not, there’ll be wind and maybe more lightning sparks.
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Post by High Sierra Fan on Aug 21, 2020 11:33:17 GMT -8
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Post by High Sierra Fan on Aug 21, 2020 18:21:39 GMT -8
I just caught a quick headline saying the fires area now exceeds 1200 square miles, “larger than Rhode Island”.
That’s also greater than all of Yosemite National Park. Burning.
Remarkably sad.
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Post by bradmacmt on Aug 22, 2020 16:26:06 GMT -8
And in Montana we have been chewing the smoke from CA... it’s remarkable in that we have almost no fires here.
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Post by calidream on Aug 22, 2020 19:20:46 GMT -8
Berkeley. Mount Tam directly below the sun.  |
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Post by bradmacmt on Aug 24, 2020 6:00:21 GMT -8
Here's a shot I took Saturday morning in the Lee Metcalf Wilderness here in Montana... Cali smoke.  |
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Post by plaidman on Aug 24, 2020 11:47:25 GMT -8
British Columbia was like this a couple of years ago. That smoke blanketed Washington, Idaho and Montana for weeks. It's the only time I've seen such widespread smoke before this last weekend, when we flew from the SF Bay Area up to Central Oregon. Coming home yesterday, the whole world was smoke. The tops were 8,000', and visibility above that was 100+ miles. The only land visible was straight down and the peaks of Shasta and Lassen poking out above the layer. Nothing but smoke for 500 miles. It was a horrible sight.
It seems like things are accelerating, beginning with the Yellowstone fires of 1988, through the massive fires in the Idaho wilderness and the northern Sierra, and, now, in the coastal ranges of northern California. I don't think it's my imagination, because so many of the areas I see these days now have huge burn areas where I remember there being forest. I fear that the woods of my youth are becoming chaparral for our children.
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Post by Lamebeaver on Sept 6, 2020 10:09:27 GMT -8
Soooo smoky on the Eastern Plains of Colorado today from the Cameron Peak Fire. I haven't seen it this bad since the Hayman fire 18 years ago. It was 101 in Denver yesterday. Hopefully the snow we're supposed to get on Tuesday will put a damper on things.  |
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davesenesac
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Post by davesenesac on Sept 6, 2020 10:31:00 GMT -8
Huge fire with massive smoke east of Fresno now with helicopter evacuations for hundreds of people trapped further up the roads.
Many high temperature records will fall today in California. Outside my door is now 92F in the shade with a forecast high of 104F. Ridiculous temps already in the LA basin for just 11am or 5 hours from the peak late afternoon. Is even over 100F now on 3 of the Channel Islands way off the coast surrounded by the 70F Pacific Ocean waters. Note am a native of downtown LA. Here in San Jose area is already 92F outside my door and my AC is broken. Lets all hope no more disastrous fires start while it is so hot.
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swmtnbackpacker
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Post by swmtnbackpacker on Sept 6, 2020 13:07:03 GMT -8
Smoke is the biggest problem as the forecast can be clear in the AM but then smoked out by PM.
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