WILDFIRE SEASON 2022

[Absarokanaut]

WILDFIRE SEASON 2022

inciweb.nwcg.gov/

Despite rain and snow around the Flagstaff, AZ area the virtually 21,000 acre Tunnel Fire continues to burn with just 3% Containment.

inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/8068/

New Mexico has considerable acreage burning right now in multiple fires and among other places I believe the Philmont Scout Ranch has once again been evacuated.

I have been slightly encouraged here in Greater Yellowstone with respectable April precipitation and a friend in Northern California reported 4" of rain a week or so ago. There is a fair number of prescribed burns taking place across the country. Nonetheless with a hot and dry summer forecast right now we can't by any means expect conditions will improve much from last year if at all. Just like with temperatures and precipitation in the West a "NEW NORMAL" is here for wildfire considerations.

Folks, please feel free to share any information here. Hope for the best but prepare for the worst.

 

[Rockskipper]

Tunnel Fire Swept Across National Monument, Burning Buildings And Vehicles

Flames from the Tunnel Fire were said to be burning Friday in Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument in Arizona, three days after a firestorm swept across the monument, destroying a number of buildings and vehicles, the National Park Service said Friday evening.

www.nationalparkstraveler.org

 

[Rockskipper]

Fires, And Fire Danger, Threatening National Parks

Valles Caldera National Preserve in New Mexico was closed Saturday due to a wildfire burning in the Jemez National Forest, while growing fire conditions prompted other park units in the region to institute restrictions on campfires, grills, lanterns, and smoking in the open.

www.nationalparkstraveler.org

 

[Bob]

WILDFIRE SEASON 2022

inciweb.nwcg.gov/

Despite rain and snow around the Flagstaff, AZ area the virtually 21,000 acre Tunnel Fire continues to burn with just 3% Containment.

inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/8068/

New Mexico has considerable acreage burning right now in multiple fires and among other places I believe the Philmont Scout Ranch has once again been evacuated.

I have been slightly encouraged here in Greater Yellowstone with respectable April precipitation and a friend in Northern California reported 4" of rain a week or so ago. There is a fair number of prescribed burns taking place across the country. Nonetheless with a hot and dry summer forecast right now we can't by any means expect conditions will improve much from last year if at all. Just like with temperatures and precipitation in the West a "NEW NORMAL" is here for wildfire considerations.

Folks, please feel free to share any information here. Hope for the best but prepare for the worst.

Island park area water content is at 68 % last I saw. At my house we were 3 ft short of snow going into April.... Hasn't recovered

 

[Bob]

Fires, And Fire Danger, Threatening National Parks

Valles Caldera National Preserve in New Mexico was closed Saturday due to a wildfire burning in the Jemez National Forest, while growing fire conditions prompted other park units in the region to institute restrictions on campfires, grills, lanterns, and smoking in the open.

www.nationalparkstraveler.org

Lol.. . I was there last time it burned.... Almost into los alamos

 

[Bob]

Tunnel Fire Swept Across National Monument, Burning Buildings And Vehicles

Flames from the Tunnel Fire were said to be burning Friday in Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument in Arizona, three days after a firestorm swept across the monument, destroying a number of buildings and vehicles, the National Park Service said Friday evening.

www.nationalparkstraveler.org

Have to remember this area is heavy flash fuels ...grass..... Driven by wind makes it even worse... Enables it to get into tree crowns

 

[Jackson]

They got 2 feet of snow over the last two days in Big Sky, so that's good. Still below where we need to be, but we'll take it. Not ready for another 3 months straight of smoke this year.

 

[Bob]

Close but not close enough for Idaho and Yellowstone....... and who believes ski resort snow totals anyway....lol

 

[Jackson]

Close but not close enough for Idaho and Yellowstone....... and who believes ski resort snow totals anyway....lol

I do. Haha. They reported how little they got from storms that were forecasted to drop a lot more than they actually did.

And I've got some acquaintances up there who have confirmed they got blasted by this last storm. I wish it had spread farther south though!

 

[kris]

Soil moisture is better indicator than a late season storm total from a resort, and you can see the various levels of dryness. https://nasagrace.unl.edu/

National fire outlooks, (be mindful these are not gospel) even broken down into geographic areas. https://gacc.nifc.gov/predictive_services/outlooks/outlooks.htm

Nevada looks grim as far as dryness, but with dryness the Great Basin fuel types are lacking any moisture for any new growth, so chances are the bigger fires are going to be in areas with bigger vegetation.

Oregon is looking like it'll be another bad year, and of course CA will do what CA does.

 

[Jackson]

Soil moisture is better indicator than a late season storm total from a resort, and you can see the various levels of dryness. https://nasagrace.unl.edu/

National fire outlooks, (be mindful these are not gospel) even broken down into geographic areas. https://gacc.nifc.gov/predictive_services/outlooks/outlooks.htm

Nevada looks grim as far as dryness, but with dryness the Great Basin fuel types are lacking any moisture for any new growth, so chances are the bigger fires are going to be in areas with bigger vegetation.

Oregon is looking like it'll be another bad year, and of course CA will do what CA does.

Of course soil moisture is a better indicator. I was just expressing gratitude for what precipitation we've gotten here recently.

Awesome resources at those links. Thanks for sharing them!

 

[ImNotDedYet]

One of my best friends is a firefighter in the mountains here in CO and a wildfire firefighter as well. He said that last year the three signs they look at in forecasting what kind of fire year we may have were far worse than 2020 - the year we had the three largest fires in state history. Yet, last year's fire season was rather tame in CO. (if you don't count the fire the day before New Years that burned 1,000 homes and businesses between Boulder and Denver) There's certainly some luck that comes into play as well as the dryness.

But the west, overall, is a tinderbox, and there appears to no longer be a fire "season" - it's always fire season.