“But clouds bellied out in the sultry heat, the sky cracked open with a crimson gash, spewed flame-and the ancient forest began to smoke. By morning there was a mass of booming, fiery tongues, a hissing, crashing, howling all around, half the sky black with smoke, and the bloodied sun just barely visible.”

~ Yevgeny Zamyatin,
1884-1937-Russian author of science fiction and political satire

During the past week, areas across the west have reported weather of unprecedented nature. The most striking was the early arrival of winter in the Rocky Mountains. High winds and more than a foot of snow blanketed parts of Wyoming. In contrast, temperatures in parts of Southern California soared beyond those previously recorded. At our location in La Crescenta, a daytime high of 114 degrees was reached; during the night, at 2 a.m., it was 92 degrees! With the heat came the fires and now the winds are starting to blow.

Weather plays a major role in the birth, growth and death of a wildfire. Drought leads to extremely favorable conditions for wildfires, and winds aid a wildfire’s progress – weather can spur the fire to move faster and engulf more land. It can also make the job of fighting the fire even more difficult. There are three weather ingredients that can affect wildfires: temperature, wind and moisture.

In the foothills of Southern California, there’s an added component: the terrain. Fires thrive on steep mountainsides and race through canyons.

I found the perfect job for me. NOAA’s  national weather service sends trained fire weather forecasters, incident meteorologists (IMETs), to provide on-site weather forecasts; the reason is weather conditions influence how easily a fire can start, how quickly it can spread and its movement. An IMET works with the incident command center located relatively near an active wildfire. There weather and communication equipment is set up. The information gathered is used to assess the current weather conditions and its effect on the fire. The information is then sent out to fire crews. The meteorological support given is crucial to the firefighters’ safety and eventual fire containment.

Yes, a lightning strike can spark a fire. But, according to the National Forest Service, nearly 85% of U.S. wildland fires are human-caused; these include unattended or improperly extinguished campfires, burning debris, sparks from moving vehicles and machinery, cigarettes and arson. Smokey Bear has known … for 76 years, “Only You Can Prevent Forrest Fires.”

Good news! The forecast calls for cooler temperatures beginning Sunday and continuing into next week. Perfect timing as Tuesday, Sept. 22 is the first day of autumn!

Sue Kilpatrick is a Crescenta Valley
resident and Official Skywarn Spotter for the
National Weather Service Reach her
at suelkilpatrick@gmail.com.

  Sue Kilpatrick